Travis Hamonic took the ice for the Vancouver Canucks at training camp Monday. By the same time Tuesday, it sounds like he should have a deal wrapped up with the hockey club. Rick Dhaliwal of TSN reports the freshly inked deal should come in around $1 million for one year.
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Hamonic joined the Canucks on a professional try out around a week ago and the belief was that it was simply a means to an end until the Canucks got their LTIR and waiver wire ducks in a row. This was something that was front and center on Monday in the NHL and it was likely just a matter of time before the Canucks and Hamonic finalized a deal.
Hamonic didn’t return to the NHL during the 2019-20 play-ins and wasn’t able to secure a deal out of the gate in free agency, but speculation is that his not signing was as much to do with the fact he was particular about where he wanted to play, more than it was teams not having interest.
Hamonic is a steady defenseman who can eat minutes and will be a welcome addition to the Canucks blue line.
GM Jim Benning said having a player like Hamonic as an experienced player who can help with such a condensed season was exciting. He said he should help the back end and help the young players. Coach Travis Green was said to be very keen on him and said he doesn’t get a lot of credit for the hard minutes he plays.
He’s Going to Be a Leader
Benning said that one of the reasons Hamonic was attractive was because the team has a lot of young defenseman. They believe he’ll be a good influence and he’ll fit in and compete hard every night.
Green added that he’ll provide a lot of intangibles, Play end of the game situations, the penalty kill and other areas that aren’t as glamorous.
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