Sens fans are dumbfounded by their trade with Canucks for Hamonic

Mar 20 2022, 10:03 pm

In the first trade of Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin’s career, Vancouver defenceman Travis Hamonic was sent to the Ottawa Senators today.

It made sense why the Canucks wanted to move on from Hamonic.

In summary, he’s on the wrong side of 30, played just 24 games this season, and occupies a roster spot that could be better served by other players on the team.

His $3 million cap hit for this season and next isn’t taking up a massive chunk of the salary cap, but every dollar counts in the modern NHL and it’s not hard to argue that Hamonic was no longer worth that value to Vancouver.

It made a lot less sense why the Senators in particular felt the need to make the trade for Hamonic. Ottawa sits 28th right now in the NHL, and is well in the midst of a rebuild that began shortly after the team’s surprise appearance in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals.

A player like Hamonic ending up on a rebuilding team is no surprise, but sending back a third-round pick in return for a player who doesn’t project to provide much current or future value is just tough roster management.

Over the remainder of his contract, it’s highly unlikely Hamonic sniffs the playoffs barring a major turnaround from Ottawa next year. Hamonic simply doesn’t fit the timeline of his new team.

But Senators general manager Pierre Dorion ignored the usual NHL adage of trading picks for players when you’re good, trade players for picks when you’re struggling, opting to add Hamonic for a third-round draft pick for reasons unknown. There’s a chance they were looking to add a veteran presence in their locker room or simply add another contract while looking to reach the salary cap floor, but there’s other ways to do so without trading away valuable draft picks.

When Ottawa officially announced the trade, Senators fans weren’t having any of it.

On the other side of the coin, Canucks fans were rejoicing at the move.

Ottawa is scheduled to visit Rogers Arena on April 19, the first chance Hamonic will have to play his now-former team. For now, Senators fans will be searching for answers as to what exactly the purpose of bringing him into the mix was.

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris

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