Lighthouse Hockey - Travis Hamonic Trade: New York Islanders defenseman rescinds trade requestLighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50729/lhh-fav.png2016-05-10T18:12:36-04:00http://www.lighthousehockey.com/rss/stream/95229872016-05-10T18:12:36-04:002016-05-10T18:12:36-04:00Video: Emotional Hamonic talks trade request turn
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<figcaption>This guy.</figcaption>
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<p>"I couldn’t be more thankful."</p> <p>The rescinding of <span>Travis Hamonic's</span> trade request this morning was equally as surprising as the initial leak of the request back in November.</p>
<p>Hamonic, about as down-to-Earth as a professional athlete can be, never seemed like the type to request a trade, which was a move usually reserved for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Islanders</a> from <a href="http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2013/11/10/5087822/why-we-hate-kirk-muller" target="_blank">a less-enlightened time</a>. But the reason for the request was never about the organization, and was related to an personal family matter that drew him back to his native Manitoba.</p>
<p>All season long, fans and media (and probably some of Hamonic's teammates) assumed that it was just a matter of time before his wish was granted, even as he logged more and more huge minutes for the Islanders in a 100-point, second round of the playoffs season.</p>
<p>Instead, Hamonic granted everyone else's wish<a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/5/10/11650548/islanders-travis-hamonic-rescinds-trade-request/in/9522987"> by rescinding the request</a> when news that the situation back home was looking up.</p>
<p>In this video posted at the team's site, Hamonic opens up about the conversations he had with general manager Garth Snow both at the time the request was made and when it was repealed today. He speaks with great emotion and relief about the health concerns of a close family member stabilizing, allowing him to rethink his position. Of paramount importance is the well-being of the person to whom Travis is so closely connected.</p>
<p>He also is very clear about his love for and gratefulness towards the Islanders, who helped support him through what was a difficult, draining season. In typical Hamonic style, he sounds almost guilty for taking attention away from the team during a time in which he had some serious worries thousands of miles away. He even thanks media members for their support.</p>
<p>But that's Travis Hamonic: a heart-and-soul guy in the best possible sense of the phrase. I <em>guess</em> the Islanders will just have to keep him. I mean, if he insists.</p>
<p>He wasn't <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/travis-hamonic-of-new-york-islanders-rescinds-trade-requests-reports-newsday" target="_blank">the right fit for another team</a> anyway...</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/5/10/11653200/video-islanders-emotional-travis-hamonic-talks-trade-request-turnDan Saraceni2016-05-10T12:40:10-04:002016-05-10T12:40:10-04:00Travis Hamonic rescinds trade request, per Newsday
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<figcaption>Thanks, man | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Take off your coat and stay a while.</p> <p><a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Islanders</a>' break-out day was the usual mix of disappointment and proclamations of love for teammates and home fans, until this happened:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breaking <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Isles?src=hash">#Isles</a> news: <span>Travis Hamonic</span> has rescinded his trade request, Newsday has learned. More to follow.</p>
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) <a href="https://twitter.com/StapeNewsday/status/730070919117443072">May 10, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hamonic requested a trade last Sept. to be close to his WPG home. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Isles?src=hash">#Isles</a> did not move him and now he wishes to stay.</p>
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) <a href="https://twitter.com/StapeNewsday/status/730071262882627584">May 10, 2016</a>
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<p>A <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/source-islanders-travis-hamonic-rescinds-trade-request-1.11782625">full story has appeared in Newsday</a> as well, in which Hamonic elaborated on the request and what made him change his mind:</p>
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<p>"When Garth and I spoke last summer, the whole reason why this came about was some serious health concerns for a member of my family back home," Hamonic said. "It was a tough, trying year but I had the support of the whole organization and my teammates the whole year and I couldn't be more thankful for that.</p>
<p>"In the last little while, we've learned the situation has stabilized itself. Just relieved for that, thankful for that, pretty grateful. I love being an Islander, it's my home here, my family loves it, I love my teammates, this organization. Being an Islander is one of the best things I do with my life."</p>
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<p>And more:</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hamonic: "I love it here & want to be here & want to win a Cup here. I never wanted to leave here and couldn't be happier to stay here."</p>
— Peter Botte (@PeterBotte) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeterBotte/status/730091426248265734">May 10, 2016</a>
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<p>I mean, this guy:</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hamonic: "I love it. I love living here and I love everything that being an Islander is." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Isles?src=hash">#Isles</a></p>
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrettCyrgalis/status/730095515900248064">May 10, 2016</a>
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<p>Hamonic's trade request back to his home for personal reasons was a <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/11/18/9758946/travis-hamonic-trade-new-york-islanders-defenseman-west">running story all season long</a>. Not only did it come out of nowhere and involved a player that had not long ago signed a longterm deal to stay with the Islanders, but it put the team in serious jeopardy of losing a valuable contributor on the ice and <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/11/20/9758688/islanders-travis-hamonic-trade-request-thoughts-different/in/9522987" target="_blank">an important voice</a> in the locker room. His play this season only solidified his standing as one of the Islanders' best and most consistent defensemen.</p>
<p>Hamonic continually shot down questions about the nature of the request, preferring to focus on the team rather than whatever was going on in his personal life. Hamonic has always been <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/5/8/11637352/travis-hamonic-islanders-playoff-loss-reaction">vocally dedicated to the franchise that drafted and developed him</a>, including moments after their bitter playoff ouster at the hands of the <a href="https://www.rawcharge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lightning</a> on Sunday.</p>
<p>Islanders fans should be happy Hamonic wants to stay with the team. Let's hope that moving away from his personal request means Travis is happy, too.</p>
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<p>(via Giphy)</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/5/10/11650548/islanders-travis-hamonic-rescinds-trade-requestDan Saraceni2016-05-08T23:31:37-04:002016-05-08T23:31:37-04:00Hamonic: 'Love being an Isle more than anything'
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<figcaption>This is MY Island. | Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Whatever happens from here, this guy will never be forgotten.</p> <p><span>Travis Hamonic</span> has already impressed his significance to <a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Islanders</a> fans many times, in many ways. From the proverbial blue and orange heart he wears on his sleeve, to the incredible time and care he <a href="http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11915798" target="_blank">donates to children who (like him) lost a parent</a> at a young age, to the things he's said about the fanbase over the years that he backed up by signing a long-term and team-friendly deal with the club.</p>
<p>His emotional reaction to winning the Islanders' first playoff round since 1993 on home ice <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/4/26/11512890/new-york-islanders-playoff-series-win-memories-roundtable" target="_blank">left a mark on many</a>.</p>
<p>Sunday might have been his last in the uniform -- a <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/11/18/9758946/travis-hamonic-trade-new-york-islanders-defenseman-west" target="_blank">trade request for personal reasons came about last summer</a>, though he soldiered on and never looked like a guy who actually wanted to leave -- and he politely asked reporters not to probe it now, in the aftermath of the Islanders' Game 5 season-ending loss to the <a href="https://www.rawcharge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Tampa Bay Lightning</a>.</p>
<p>But he did re-iterate some of the reasons he's so beloved by fans, with a passionate response to a question from Shannon Hogan of the MSG team broadcast about what memories he might take from the team's first round victory:</p>
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<p>"Shannon, I love being an Islander, more than anything. It’s one of the best things I do in my life. So…it was a pretty cool feeling in Game 6 when we won that. I’m glad we had the chance to do that in front of our fans, they’ve supported us throughout the whole season and…yeah…[returns to the feeling of disappointment] sorry, it sucks, I didn’t think…I was really confident in our group, so this is pretty frustrating."</p>
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<p>Full video at MSG here:</p>
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<p>However things go from here, fans will always remember Hamonic as "one of us."</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/5/8/11637352/travis-hamonic-islanders-playoff-loss-reactionDominik2016-02-28T11:00:03-05:002016-02-28T11:00:03-05:00Hamonic Watch: Projecting a summer Oiler landing
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<figcaption>Orange, meet blue. Blue, meet orange. | Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>An in-season match was never in the cards, but the logic for an offseason Hamonic trade increasingly points to Edmonton as the destination.</p> <p>The 2016 edition of the NHL's annual frenzied trade deadline is an odd one for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a>. While they are expected to stay relatively quiet, they have multiple players who seem destined to no longer be on the roster this summer after surviving the league's fourth-quarter in-season auction.</p>
<p><span>Kyle Okposo</span> is the most-discussed unrestricted free agent, and the reported lack of substantive talks with his agent puts odds on an exit this summer. <span>Frans Nielsen</span> and <span>Matt Martin</span> are also UFAs, though more people expect those two to find ways to stay in the fold.</p>
<p>Then there's <span>Travis Hamonic</span>, whose <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/11/18/9758946/travis-hamonic-trade-new-york-islanders-defenseman-west">summer trade request leaked</a> early this season but who, like the three UFAs, is not expected to depart until the summer, if at all. Even <a target="_blank" href="http://www.todaysslapshot.com/from-the-ice/agent-for-hamonic-boedker-on-trade-timelines/">his agent acknowledged there just hasn't been a fit </a>for two teams to pull off a Hamonic deal.</p>
<p>For now, anyway.</p>
<p>But looking toward the summer, it increasingly appears that one team most logically fits the criteria and timing for a Hamonic trade.</p>
<p>With his request oriented around being closer to his Winnipeg home, the destinations are limited. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.arcticicehockey.com/">Jets</a>' re-signing of <span>Dustin Byfuglien</span> and the scuttlebutt around Jacob Trouba's contract expectations <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/8/10242172/dustin-byfuglien-contract-travis-hamonic-trade-rumors/in/9522987">make that a difficult match</a>. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.matchsticksandgasoline.com/">Calgary Flames</a> will have an opening on their blueline, but they have a lot of money tied up in the position and won't want to part with the key defensemen cogs the Isles would want back.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.coppernblue.com/">Oilers</a> do not have the "like for like" defenseman the Islanders were originally believed to be seeking in a Hamonic trade, but that stipulation dissipates if the trade doesn't happen in-season. And it's in that context -- a trade holding off until the summer -- a fit between the Islanders and Oilers starts to emerge:</p>
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<li>Edmonton needs an upgrade on defense to move forward and the right-shooting Hamonic would fit perfectly. </li>
<li>Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli <a target="_blank" href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2016/2/24/11105612/trade-deadline-oilers-rumours-hall-nugent-hopkins-eberle-nurse-draisaitl-chiarelli">probably needs to move</a> one of his young forwards (who now <a target="_blank" href="http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/edmonton-oilers/oilers-core-bracing-for-the-end">expect it themselves</a>) with $6 million cap hits: <span>Jordan Eberle</span> (signed through 2018-19), <span>Taylor Hall</span> (through 2019-20) or <span>Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</span> (2019-20).</li>
<li>If Okposo walks this summer, the Islanders will be looking to replace him as a scoring winger.</li>
<li>If Ryan Pulock, ironically expected to debut against Edmonton Sunday, continues his development curve, he'd plug in-house hole on the right side, though not exactly a Hamonic clone.</li>
</ul>
<p>It doesn't hurt that Chiarelli and Islanders general manager Garth Snow have done plenty of trade business together, most recently last summer with the swap of <span>Griffin Reinhart</span> for draft picks.</p>
<p>Each of the three aforementioned $6 million Oilers forwards has been rumored to be on the trading block at some point, with the latest conventional wisdom having a Hall trade appear possible (if foolish) for the first time while Eberle, whose unsustainable shooting percentage during his contract year earning him a $6 million overpay, suddenly looking less "touchable" after finding recent success on Connor McDavid's wing.</p>
<p>But honestly, McDavid looks like he will <a target="_blank" href="http://www.coppernblue.com/2016/2/12/10976746/oilers-trade-deadline-nhl-eberle-yakupov-mcdavid-defence">turn any winger into a productive player</a>, and of their three candidates, it's Eberle that the Oilers should be looking to deal. He is the most replaceable, with the least "franchise cog" potential, yet good enough to fetch a return that would execute a strategic asset reallocation like...Hamonic.</p>
<p>What's more, it's not hard to picture Eberle slotting in next to <span>John Tavares</span>, at a cap hit lower than what Okposo is believed to command, and signed for the next three seasons while the next crop of Islanders forwards is groomed. A deal built around Eberle seems the best "fit for both sides."</p>
<p>When the whole Hamonic trade watch frenzy began in the fall, the focus was on which team -- and which team near Western Canada -- could accommodate the Isles' need to replace him during a season where they expect to make a playoff run. Oilers media in particular posted <a target="_blank" href="http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/edmonton-oilers/would-the-oilers-be-interested-in-travis-hamonic-you-bet-they-would">story</a> after <a target="_blank" href="http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/edmonton-oilers-making-push-for-travis-hamonic-of-new-york-islanders-elliotte-friedman-says">story</a> about how the team could land him, even though they completely lacked what the Isles wanted.</p>
<p>But once the story shifted to an off-season trade, the dynamics shifted. The Oilers' needs are unchanging -- their fans would say infinite and unending -- but the Islanders' needs now are different than their needs this summer when free agency arrives.</p>
<p>It's still months away and doesn't much affect Monday's trade deadline other than via omission, but if a Hamonic-Edmonton match is to be consummated this summer, the writing is already on the wall now.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/28/11128454/nhl-trade-deadline-travis-hamonic-edmonton-oilersDominik2016-02-14T10:00:03-05:002016-02-14T10:00:03-05:00Too Good to be Trouba? D-man out of Hamonic swap
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<figcaption>It's ok. No need to get violent. | Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A straight-up trade between the Islanders and Jets seems off the table thanks to money and who's asking for it.</p> <p>Remember all those trade scenarios involving <span>Travis Hamonic</span> (trade request to Western Canada) and <span>Jacob Trouba</span> (RFA coming out of an ELC) once <span>Dustin Byfuglien</span> (force of nature) signed a five-year extension in Winnipeg? Well a deal seems unlikely now, based on reports from both Arthur Staple and Elliotte Friedman.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/arthur-staple/islanders-trading-travis-hamonic-by-the-deadline-looks-unlikely-1.11468677?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">a column yesterday</a>, Staple fleshed out a recent series of tweets in which he placed most of the focus on Trouba's agent Kurt Overhardt, who has overseen contentious contract negotiations for recent RFA holdouts <span>Brandon Dubinsky</span> and Ryan Johansen. Friedman<a href="http://www.todaysslapshot.com/from-the-ice/friedman-explores-trouba-hamonic-trade-dynamic/" target="_blank"> was on radio on Friday</a> and said that Trouba's name had been out there at some point in trade talks between the <a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Islanders</a> and <a href="https://www.arcticicehockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Jets</a> (as was Byfuglien's), but also said the upcoming contract talks had been the big stumbling block.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/report-islanders-unlikely-to-trade-travis-hamonic-by-deadline/">video on Sportsnet</a> reiterates most of that, but throws in speculation that St. Louis could become a player somehow in this ongoing scenario.</p>
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<p>So, where does that leave the Islanders? Mostly right where we left them.</p>
<p>Hamonic isn't getting traded during the season. Garth Snow wants to replace one top-four defenseman with another, preferably one not making a king's ransom. That's a lot of conditions to fulfill in two weeks when the trade deadline hits on February 29th.</p>
<p>It seems Snow did go right to Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to try to accommodate Hamonic by sending him to the team closest to his Manitoba home. A one-for-one match could not be found. Maybe, had a deal been worked out earlier and Trouba been allowed to assimilate into the Islanders locker room over the season, negotiations with Trouba's camp would have been possible. Or not. I don't know Kurt Overhardt from a hole in the wall, so who knows.</p>
<p>What about Winnipeg's other defensemen? Both Tyler Myers and <span>Toby Enstrom</span> are older than Hamonic (26 and 31, respectively) and making over $5.5 million per season ($5.75 million in Enstrom's case). Myers is signed until 2019 and Enstrom until 2018. They're also a bit of a Mutt & Jeff combo: Myers is a lumbering 6'-8" monster who spent a few years in the wilderness learning how to play to his size. Enstrom is a smaller guy - 5'-10" and 180 pounds - in the mold of <span>Thomas Hickey</span>.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/ratings.php?db=201516&sit=5v5&type=corsi&teamid=2&pos=defense&minutes=50&disp=1&sort=PCT&sortdir=DESC">Neither one's a bad player</a> by any means, but judging by the rumors, neither has piqued Snow's interest either. They're both making appreciably more than Hamonic and closer to what the Islanders are already paying <span>Nick Leddy</span> and Johnny Boychuk. The Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/02/12/patrice-bergeron-and-zdeno-chara-ahead-learning-curve/Sa3tgt1aMlZKmqIZ4XTyaL/story.html" style="background-color: #ffffff;">reported this weekend</a> that Trouba is looking for "Dougie Hamilton money," or around $5.75 million a season for six years. If he gets it, Enstrom might go. If he doesn't, Winnipeg will want a big return for him. Meanwhile, Snow also <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/10/10961832/bob-mckenzie-islanders-trade-rumors-travis-hamonic-kyle-okposo-frans-nielsen/in/9522987" style="background-color: #ffffff;">has two big UFAs of his own</a> to worry about.</p>
<p>Once Hamonic is eventually moved (again, probably at the draft or at least the season's conclusion), he might go to another team other than Winnipeg, or the deal might involve a third team sending a defenseman to the Islanders and then sending Hamonic elsewhere. Anaheim has been suggested, as has St. Louis, as both have defensemen to spare.</p>
<p>Snow continues to have one of the best poker faces in the NHL. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/9/10950972/elliotte-friedman-30-thoughts-islanders-jets-hamonic-trouba-garth-snow/in/9522987">Friedman himself said that,</a> "Not even the Jaws of Life get anything out of Garth Snow" which, if I were Snow, I'd have printed on my business cards or on a t-shirt to wear into meetings with agents.</p>
<p>But the real MVP of the whole situation has been Hamonic, who has played well throughout the season and has steadfastly refused to feed the Hot Stove by opening his mouth for reporters looking for logs to throw on the fire. In January, Hamonic shot down <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/01/22/ottawa-senators-captain-erik-karlsson-showcases-some-physical-play">Ottawa Sun columnist Don Brennan with a quote</a> that should bring a tear to the eye of anyone that's suffered through the various indignities of being an Islanders fan:</p>
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<p>Islanders defenceman Travis Hamonic had no interest in giving at update on the trade request he made earlier this season. "I addressed the team earlier in the season and that's who means the most to me, this organization and what they think," Hamonic said Friday morning. "That's as far as I'm going to go with your question. I'm excited to be here, I love it here, and I'm excited and proud to be an Islander."</p>
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<p>Hey, Hammer: uh... any chance you might change your mind and just, like, stay a while longer?</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/14/10983670/islanders-jets-trade-rumors-travis-hamonic-jacob-troubaDan Saraceni2016-02-10T17:30:02-05:002016-02-10T17:30:02-05:00McKenzie: Hamonic, Okposo, Nielsen here for season
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<figcaption>Me! No, me! | Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>TSN's insider weighs in on the Islanders trio of trade bait, neither of whom are probably going anywhere.</p> <p>In <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tsn.ca/reading-the-trade-market-tea-leaves-1.436138" style="background-color: #ffffff;">a report discussing the futures</a> of <span>Travis Hamonic</span> (trade request), and <span>Kyle Okposo</span> and <span>Frans Nielsen</span> (each an impending UFA), TSN's Bob McKenzie believes that <a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Islanders</a> GM Garth Snow would rather keep the three important players for the remainder of this season and (hockey gods willing) into the playoffs, rather than cash them in for futures or adding a new veteran presence to an already tight locker room.</p>
<p>Although Hamonic asked to be moved before the season, Snow will need to be blown away with an offer before he moves the six-year veteran at or before the NHL's trade deadline later this month. Per McKenzie:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Islanders are all about a) making the playoffs, and b) trying to make a splash in the playoffs. Unless an incredible offer comes across Snow's desk in the next couple of weeks, which is certainly possible, those interests are likely best served by keeping Hamonic for the rest of the season and trying to deal with his closer-to-home (Western Canada) trade request (for personal reasons) in the off-season.</p>
<p>That doesn't preclude a deal between now and Feb. 29, it just means it's going to have to be perfect for Snow to radically alter team chemistry now when he isn't under any real pressure to do so.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Much of that goes back to what we had kinda of suspected back when <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/11/18/9758946/travis-hamonic-trade-new-york-islanders-defenseman-west">news of the trade request first broke</a>: that had Snow found a match he liked - essentially replacing one of his top-four defensemen with another top-four defensemen making comparable money - he would have made the move already. Now, 50-odd games into the season and with the Islanders seemingly fighting everyday for every inch of elbow room among a crowded Eastern Conference, the chance of Hamonic being moved before the conclusion of the season is very, very slim.</p>
<p>When it comes to Okposo and Nielsen, McKenzie reiterates the Islanders' position that they won't be sellers at the deadline, regardless of contract status.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Islanders' philosophy, or at least Snow's, is a little different than a lot of other teams when it comes to expiring contracts. It's not carved in stone, but repeat after me: The Islanders are all about a) making the playoffs, and b) trying to make a splash in the playoffs.</p>
<p>The Isles' short-term interests are not best served by getting draft picks or prospects in exchange for significant contributors to the immediate cause, as Okposo and Nielsen are. Certainly in Okposo's case, Snow knows it will be difficult if not impossible to re-sign him, but if/when Okposo walks off into free agency, the Isles will rationalize their return on Okposo as being able to spend the dollars otherwise earmarked for him on somebody else.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That last bit about passing the Okposo savings along to another player can only mean one thing: STAMKOS TO BROOKLYN!!! OMG!!</p>
<p>Or not. But the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.generalfanager.com/freeagents?expiryyear=2016&position=All&shoots=Both&team=all&UFA=1">list of UFAs this summer</a> is an interesting one, and it could alter how (or even if) the Islanders approach resigning Okposo.</p>
<p>As McKenzie's colleague and contemporary Elliotte Friedman made clear in <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/9/10950972/elliotte-friedman-30-thoughts-islanders-jets-hamonic-trouba-garth-snow">his Islanders notes in yesterday's 30 Thoughts</a>, the preternaturally tight-lipped Snow isn't tipping his hand in any particular direction right now. The goal is the playoffs. Beyond that, no one knows which way Snow is leaning on any of these pending (but not necessarily pressing) matters.</p>
<p>In other words, this is the best intel you're gonna get from the Islanders until something actually breaks.</p>
<p>Read the rest of McKenzie's article for updates on <span>Dan Hamhuis</span>, who would prefer to just remain a Canuck thank you very much, and <span>Kris Russell</span>, who might soon join the <a href="https://www.matchsticksandgasoline.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Flames</a>' ever-growing list of grossly overpaid defensemen.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/10/10961832/bob-mckenzie-islanders-trade-rumors-travis-hamonic-kyle-okposo-frans-nielsenDan Saraceni2016-02-09T12:38:59-05:002016-02-09T12:38:59-05:00Elliotte Friedman on Hamonic, Trouba, stoic Snow
<figure>
<img alt="Back under that line, Canes." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iu9VL1-AHc7Yzv7CycPNvGHiLmA=/0x159:1512x1167/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48768925/GettyImages-494860644.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Back under that line, Canes. | Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You'll get nothin' outta me, see.</p> <p>In his latest (indispensible and always interesting) <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/30-thoughts-whats-behind-crosbys-scoring-surge/?" target="_blank">30 Thoughts article</a> for Sportsnet, insider Elliotte Friedman covers the topic of Dustin Byfuglien's recent contract extension with Winnipeg and what it might mean for a potential <span>Travis Hamonic</span>-to-the-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.arcticicehockey.com/">Jets</a> trade (<a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/8/10242172/dustin-byfuglien-contract-travis-hamonic-trade-rumors" target="_blank">hey, great minds</a>)</p>
<p>Friedman, like the rest of us, wonders if Byfuglien's contract means restricted free agent <span>Jacob Trouba</span> is ticketed for Brooklyn. And also like us, Friedman has no idea what Garth Snow has up his sleeve.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>7.</strong> Final Manitoba note: this will start the Trouba/<a data-original-title=" <img src=" data-trigger=" mce_src=" data-html="true" data-placement="auto" data-toggle="tooltip" data-an-track-hover="true" data-an-category="Player Tooltip Link" data-an-opt-label="Travis Hamonic (521878) - 30 Thoughts: What's behind Crosby's scoring surge (2617047)" data-player="521878" target="_blank" class="sn-player-post-link" href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/players/travis-hamonic/521878"> </a>Travis Hamonic talk again. I don't know. Not even the Jaws of Life get anything out of Garth Snow, but the surest predictor of future performance is past performance.</p>
<p>Snow draws a hard line with restricted free agents, especially before arbitration eligibility. If a short-term bridge is not an option, that could be a very, very difficult negotiation. If it is an option, things are different.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Snow's hard line stance was seen once again this past summer, when negotiations with forward <span>Brock Nelson</span> went down to the wire before Nelson signed<a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/9/16/9342177/minor-news-brock-nelson-signs" target="_blank"> a new three-year contract</a> worth $7.5 million. For months there <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/8/13/9129839/islanders-brock-nelson-disappearing-arbitration-rights-rfa-contract" target="_blank">were speculations</a> and <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/9/15/9328163/brock-nelson-agent-islanders-garth-snow-telephone" target="_blank">cold wars with Nelson's agent</a>, but eventually a deal was hashed out just before camp. Nelson currently leads the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Islanders</a> with 20 goals.</p>
<p>The previous poster boy for Snow's RFA dealings was <span>Josh Bailey</span>, who nearly was forced to sit out the entire 2011-2012 season because he wasn't signed by training camp per an internal team policy. He came around to <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2011/9/16/2428678/josh-bailey-re-signed-its-time-for-islanders-training-camp" target="_blank">a two-year deal</a>, then signed a five-year one in 2013.</p>
<p>If Trouba wants "more than $56 million" over eight years as Dom mentioned in yesterday's article, he and Snow might not see eye-to-eye. After acquiring Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk last off-season, Snow signed both to matching seven-year deals for $5.5 and $6 million AAV, respectively. But then again, Snow is like the KGB when it comes to getting information even for Elliotte Friedman, so who knows.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>8.</strong> Also on the Islanders, can't see Snow doing anything that jeopardizes New York's ability to go for it this season.</p>
<p>They've played 51 games, tied for fewest in the East, so they're in a good spot. Only Washington, Florida and Boston have a better goal differential in the conference. They were not close to the playoffs when the GM traded unrestricted-free-agent-to-be<a data-original-title=" <img src=" data-trigger=" mce_src=" data-html="true" data-placement="auto" data-toggle="tooltip" data-an-track-hover="true" data-an-category="Player Tooltip Link" data-an-opt-label="Thomas Vanek (229370) - 30 Thoughts: What's behind Crosby's scoring surge (2617047)" data-player="229370" target="_blank" class="sn-player-post-link" href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/players/thomas-vanek/229370"> </a>Thomas Vanek in 2014, but no one would be surprised if he takes his chances with <span>Frans Nielsen</span> and <a data-original-title=" <img src=" data-trigger=" mce_src=" data-html="true" data-placement="auto" data-toggle="tooltip" data-an-track-hover="true" data-an-category="Player Tooltip Link" data-an-opt-label="Kyle Okposo (329583) - 30 Thoughts: What's behind Crosby's scoring surge (2617047)" data-player="329583" target="_blank" class="sn-player-post-link" href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/players/kyle-okposo/329583"> </a>Kyle Okposo this time.</p>
<p>One interesting note: when <span>Michael Dal Colle</span> was struggling in OHL Oshawa, there were rumours the Islanders would be willing to consider a move. But he's got 31 points in 14 games since a trade to Kingston. He's not struggling anymore.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We've talked at length about Okposo and Nielsen and the likelihood of either or both staying or going. Arthur Staple has been pretty adamant (for the last year-and-a-half or so) that Okposo wouldn't be dealt barring a total collapse regardless of his contract status. It's <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/6/22/8822083/islanders-kyle-okposo-salary-comparables" target="_blank">likely Okposo walks away after the season</a>, but the Islanders can't afford to trade their leading point producer in the middle of a playoff race.</p>
<p>Same goes for Nielsen, who's playing possibly better than he ever has in his career at the age of 31. But the speculation is that Nielsen's demands should be lower than Okposo's, thus making him more likely to stay beyond this season.</p>
<p>The Dal Colle note is a new one and "willing to consider a move" is some industrial grade bet hedging on Friedman's part. Since becoming a Frontenac, Dal Colle has been a scoring machine so whatever plagued him in Oshawa seems to have subsided. Now, the trick is for him to continue that production in Bridgeport (possibly later this season). If the Islanders are gearing up for life without Okposo, they're going to need Dal Colle very, very soon.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>9.</strong> On the other side, Carolina is three points back of the Islanders for the final playoff spot, a postseason challenge no one expected. But, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canescountry.com/">Hurricanes</a> are at 54 games. Everyone ahead of them in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hockeywilderness.com/">Wild</a>-Card or Metropolitan race has played fewer.</p>
<p>Do they hold on to their assets because they're still in this? Here's betting GM Ron Francis sees what happens when the games played totals even out. If the Hurricanes fall back, it makes his decisions easier. If not?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This last note's really not about the Islanders, but it does go to show that there are other teams in similar situations. A team like the Hurricanes (or the Islanders) sees a playoff run with UFA players (like <span>Eric Staal</span>) or trading them for a chance to recoup assets and fold their hand. It's a tough call.</p>
<p>And with GMs like Garth "Jaws" Snow and <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/30-thoughts-artemi-panarin-and-the-new-khl-development-model/" target="_blank">Ron "Fort Knox" Francis</a> making the decisions, anything is possible. Even a crazy, nine player <a href="http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2016/2/9/10950728/leafs-trade-dion-phaneuf-to-senators-in-9-player-deal" target="_blank">in-division in-province captain</a> for expiring contracts trade.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/9/10950972/elliotte-friedman-30-thoughts-islanders-jets-hamonic-trouba-garth-snowDan Saraceni2016-02-08T16:38:47-05:002016-02-08T16:38:47-05:00Byfuglien Deal's Effect on Hamonic Trade Watch
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<img alt="No longer eyeing Travis?" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wBVGZcHjz0pLrblpoxPFli88fVY=/0x0:3270x2180/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48760647/usa-today-8856188.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>No longer eyeing Travis? | Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Don't cross another destination off the list just yet, but do get the pen ready...</p> <p>There is no indication the New York Islanders are anywhere closer to trading Travis Hamonic -- but wait! <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/11/23/9784544/travis-hamonic-trade-rumors-speculation-day-of-the-week">It could be (a) Monday!</a> Or (a) Tuesday! -- but the Winnpeg Jets' signing of Dustin Byfuglien to a five-year contract extension adds one more data point to the puzzle of figuring out where and when the Isles might be able to honor <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/11/18/9758946/travis-hamonic-trade-new-york-islanders-defenseman-west">Hamonic's summer request</a> to be dealt closer to his Winnipeg-area home</p>
<p>Until today's announcement of a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/benhankinson/status/696796136355426304">five-year, averaged $7.6 million-per-year</a> deal with the big defenseman, the Jets had a trio of free agents in captain Andrew Ladd (UFA), Byfuglien (UFA) and promising young defenseman Jacob Trouba (RFA, coming off his ELC) who will all command big money on their next deal.</p>
<p>How much money? Essentially "all of it," according to a report out of Winnipeg that made league-wide headlines before the Christmas break.</p>
<p>Speculation about these free agents -- and even how they might influence a potential trade for Hamonic's contract -- has been on-going much of the season, but the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/Ladd-Byfuglien-Trouba-asking-Jets-for-152M-in-contracts--361904251.html">December Winnipeg Free Press article</a> with headline-grabbing phrasing ("more than $152 million worth of future contract demand," which is almost like citing a line's combined +/- for dramatic effect) ratcheted up the speculation by giving some "real" numbers to the story.</p>
<p>According to that report, Byfuglien wanted $55 million over eight years (turns out he got similar AAV but shorter term), Trouba wants "more than $56 million" over eight years, and Ladd wants six years at $41 million. As a forward, Ladd doesn't positionally factor into the Hamonic question, but in terms of budget and cap space he's another key variable.</p>
<p>In his<a target="_blank" href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/30-thoughts-why-the-jets-face-painful-personnel-choices/"> 30 Thoughts column</a> at the time of that leak, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted another variable: Trouba's agent.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>His agent, Kurt Overhardt, seemed shocked when asked for a comment. "The information abut Jacob is incorrect," he said. "Incorrect."</p>
<p>Another agent, upon reading that quote, texted, "This is going to be a problem."</p>
<p>I wrote about Overhardt last season when <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets-ryan-johansen-dispute-shining-spotlight-on-agent-kurt-overhardt/" target="_blank">Ryan Johansen had a contract stalemate</a> with Columbus. His reputation is well-known. Like many agents, he will see this as a situation that calls for ferocious protection of a young client. He’s not going to be happy, and the fallout could be long-lasting.</p>
<p>Winnipeg went through an ugly, public divorce with Evander Kane one year ago. Very curious to see how much this relationship needs to be repaired. Or, is it a public admission that it can’t be?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can follow that Johnansen link for even more dirt, or at least controversy, with Overhardt's approach to negotiations, but the upshot is the Jets face a tricky decision and negotiation with Trouba in particular -- and that could influence whether the Jets changed their reported stance on trading Trouba, as well as the Islanders' stance on pursuing Trouba in a Hamonic trade.</p>
<p>The recent conventional wisdom and reporting on both topics is that: 1) the Isles are far more likely to keep Hamonic for the rest of this season and pursue a trade in the summer when more teams (including the Isles) are rebalancing their assets, and 2) Ladd increasingly sounds like the player who the Jets will trade or let walk.</p>
<p>If so, it becomes increasingly difficult to figure how Hamonic could end up in a Jets uniform.</p>
<p>As discussed previously in this long-unfolding tale, the challenge with a Hamonic trade is that it's not on the table for hockey reasons. Thus, at least according to the early reports and the possibility of an in-season trade, it's not like the Isles seek a different position or type of player in a deal. Alas there are no natural like-for-like matches in the potential destinations Hamonic would want to go to. (And we'll assume here that, given Hamonic's quotes and professed affection for the Islanders, the reasons non-Western teams aren't on the table is because if he can't move closer to home, then he'd prefer the status quo.)</p>
<p>So, to reset where we are with the trade deadline now just three weeks away:</p>
<ul>
<li>Hamonic's requested a trade to a few destinations, theoretically limiting the Islanders' bargaining power.</li>
<li>However, Hamonic's contract is pretty team-friendly, which theoretically adds to his trade value. (And Byfuglien's $7.6 million AAV only underlines that point.)<br> </li>
<li>There have been mixed reports on whether the Isles asked for Trouba, but if the Jets deem him "unsignable" or his ask is way out of their range, Hamonic's contract suddenly looks more desirable to them...while Trouba's (reported) demands look less desirable to the Isles.</li>
<li>On that note, however, would the Isles want another defenseman at $7 million per year when they already have Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk on long term deals in that price range, and when Trouba's true value as an NHLer is still being established? (And the Isles, if forced to replace Hamonic, have some cheaper candidates being groomed in the AHL.)<br> </li>
</ul>
<p>TSN reporter and NHL insider Darren Dreger had more to add on the Jets back in December, saying a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/NicholsOnHockey/status/679796828972253184">Trouba trade would've already happened</a> if the Jets had any interest in dealing him, while <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/NicholsOnHockey/status/679797645271937024">he expects Ladd will be re-signed</a> and Byfuglien won't. Obviously things changed or proved Dreger wrong on the latter point, but the Trouba point still stands for now.</p>
<p>So, does Byfuglien's contract extension remove the Jets from consideration as a landing spot for Hamonic? No. But it does reduce the likelihood. (Meanwhile, in Edmonton...)</p>
<p>Lots to think about. Lots of cards to play on many fronts before we learn where Hamonic's future lies.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/8/10242172/dustin-byfuglien-contract-travis-hamonic-trade-rumorsDominik