Flames make biggest splash among Canadian teams (again) on draft weekend
CHICAGO — The draft weekend splash is becoming an annual Calgary Flames tradition.
For the third straight June, Flames general manager Brad Treliving swung a big deal at the draft, this time landing 26-year-old defenceman Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders. “He moves pucks. He’s a character kid. He’s got some bite to him. I think he’s going to fit good with us,” Treliving said of Hamonic, who came at the cost of one first round pick and two seconds.
One year earlier, Treliving sent two picks to St. Louis for Brian Elliott and a year before that, three picks to Boston for defenceman Dougie Hamilton.
Hamilton proved to be a big score, but Elliott fell flat as a potential No. 1 goaltender and was replaced earlier this month through another trade by Mike Smith, the long-time Coyotes netminder.