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Travis Hamonic

Ottawa Senators Re-Sign Travis Hamonic

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The Ottawa Senators are bringing back defenseman Travis Hamonic for two more seasons. Per PuckPedia, the 32-year-old UFA defenseman signed a two-year contract worth $1.1MM per season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds he’s receiving a full no-movement clause in the deal.

While an afterthought on this year’s market, Hamonic actually had one of his best seasons in quite some time in 2022-23. While he saw his ice time dip from his normal 19 to 21 minutes per game, his 21 points were his most in a season since 2015-16 with the New York Islanders.

It’s a fine deal for Hamonic, who will slot in behind Jakob Chychrun and Artem Zub on the team’s right side, likely in a third-pairing role. He still doesn’t provide a ton of value defensively, at least not compared to his heyday, and he likely won’t see anything more than sheltered minutes for the rest of his NHL career.

Hamonic was coming off a two-year, $6MM contract he signed with the Vancouver Canucks in 2021. This is the lowest-paying contract of his career, save for his entry-level deal.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion offered a statement:

Travis is a key component of our group. He routinely sets a good example for our younger players with work ethic and accountability, his fearlessness and with a determination level that he seems to exceed each time he steps on the ice. He’s a leader with strong character and someone we’re very pleased to see returning.

He’ll be an unrestricted free agent once again in 2025, although not eligible for a 35+ contract, given his August birthday.

Senators Notes: Talbot, Watson, Hamonic, Pinto

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Extension discussions between the Senators and goaltender Cam Talbot were put on hold when Talbot’s camp pushed for a substantial raise, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  The 35-year-old has underachieved this season, posting a .900 SV% in 35 games and since discussions were stopped back in December, Talbot has dealt with groin and rib injuries which certainly don’t help his market value.  Talbot’s in the final year of a deal that carries a $3.5MM AAV and with the way this season has gone, he’ll be hard-pressed to land a sizable increase on the open market this summer though another deal in that range is certainly possible.

More from Ottawa:

  • Winger Austin Watson’s season has come to an end, Garrioch notes (Twitter link). He took a shot off the foot on Thursday against Florida and the team will hold him out for the final three games.  His campaign concludes with nine goals, two assists, 123 penalty minutes, and 165 hits in 75 games.  Watson will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.
  • Garrioch also relayed (Twitter link) that blueliner Travis Hamonic (lower body) won’t be able to return this season. The team had hoped that the 32-year-old would be able to be back for a game or two in the final week but with the Sens out of playoff contention now, there’s no need to try to rush him back.  His season ends with 21 points and 143 blocks in 75 games and he, too, will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
  • Center Shane Pinto revealed to Garrioch (Twitter link) that he has been invited to play for Team USA at next month’s World Championship. The 22-year-old has had a good first full NHL campaign, chipping in with 20 goals and 13 assists while averaging a little under 16 minutes per night.  Notably, Pinto’s contract expires this summer and players that aren’t signed for the following season typically don’t suit up in the event; Pinto only indicated that he’s thinking about the offer at this time.

Travis Hamonic Hopes To Re-Sign With Senators

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Last season, it came as a bit of a surprise that the Senators acquired Travis Hamonic from Vancouver.  They wanted him to be a reliable veteran to work with a younger group of defensemen and it’s a role that has suited him well.  Earlier this year, it seemed like there was a chance that the veteran would be on the move but he wound up staying put with Ottawa.

While Hamonic is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, he’s hoping it doesn’t come to that point, telling Ian Mendes of The Athletic (subscription link) that he wants to re-sign with the Sens before getting to the open market.  To that end, he indicated that preliminary discussions on an extension have started but not to the point where talks could be considered as serious.

The 32-year-old is having one of his stronger seasons in recent years.  Offensively, he has his highest point total (21) since 2015-16 while defensively, he leads the team in blocks with 143 in 75 games although those numbers won’t be going up for now as he will miss the next few games at least due to a lower-body injury.  Hamonic also leads the Senators in shorthanded ice time, logging 3:16 per contest.  All in all, he has been a steady and stable defensive presence which is exactly what he was brought in for.

However, it’s fair to wonder if they’ll be able to afford Hamonic at a similar price to what he’s making this season.  A $3MM AAV for a fourth or fifth defender is fair market value but the Sens already have over $69MM in commitments for next season to just 16 players, per CapFriendly.  Alex DeBrincat is a high-profile restricted free agent who will eat up most of that cap room as he’s owed a $9MM qualifying offer if they can’t reach an agreement on a long-term pact before then.  Between that deal and filling out the rest of the roster, will there be room for Hamonic on a market-value contract?

Of the five blueliners on Ottawa’s current roster that are signed beyond this season, Artem Zub is the oldest at 27 so there is definitely room for someone like Hamonic to stay on the roster in his current role.  But if he’s going to get his wish to stay in Canada’s capital, he’s either heading for a sizable cut in pay or GM Pierre Dorion is going to have to find a way to trim some salary first to try to make that happen.

Derick Brassard Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

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The news isn’t great for Senators center Derick Brassard.  After being injured in Thursday’s victory over Philadelphia, head coach D.J. Smith told reporters including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link) that Brassard has undergone surgery to repair a fractured fibula.  In a separate tweet, Garrioch adds that the recovery timeline is at least six to eight weeks and that Brassard had a plate put in.

It’s certainly a tough end to the season for the 35-year-old.  Brassard had been a quality depth contributor for the Sens this year, chipping in with 13 goals in 62 games, his highest goal total since the 2019-20 campaign.  Perhaps more impressive is that he was able to do so while logging just 12:11 per contest, his lowest ATOI since his rookie year back in 2007-08.

Brassard had to settle for a training camp PTO last fall but was able to earn himself a one-year contract at the league minimum.  Having bounced around considerably in recent years – Ottawa is his eighth different team since 2018-19 – he’s someone whose ability to earn a contract for next season was already in question.  Unfortunately, an injury like this certainly doesn’t help in that regard.  Accordingly, it’s quite possible that Brassard will have to settle for a tryout once again if he looks to try to extend his 16-year NHL career any further.

Meanwhile, TSN’s Claire Hanna relays (Twitter link) that defensemen Travis Hamonic (lower body), Thomas Chabot (upper body), and Jakob Chychrun (hamstring) won’t accompany the Sens on their upcoming three-game road trip.  Of the three, Smith noted that he’s hopeful that Hamonic will be able to return by the end of the season so it appears Chabot and Chychrun have seen their 2022-23 campaigns come to an end.

Pierre Dorion Speaks On Senators Trade Deadline Plans

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The Ottawa Senators are in a tricky situation. Similar to the Buffalo Sabres, who sit just a few points ahead of them in the Atlantic Division standings, they have shown some significant growth with a roster full of young, inexperienced talent. The playoffs are likely out of reach this season, but after so many lean years (they last had a winning record in 2016-17), adding at the trade deadline doesn’t seem out of the question.

Even just as a reward for the hard play the team has shown this year, it might be worthwhile to bring in a little boost for the group. More complicated is the fact that the team is going through the process of sale, and increased ticket sales over the last 30 games could be beneficial.

You could tell that there is still some indecision on the part of general manager Pierre Dorion when he met with reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia today. In detailing his deadline plans, he admitted that the next seven games would determine his strategy one way or another, but there were a few things that he has already decided.

First, is that Alex DeBrincat will not be traded. There had been some speculation regarding the diminutive sniper, because of how his contract is structured moving forward. The 25-year-old DeBrincat is owed a $9MM qualifying if the Senators want to maintain his RFA rights, which would result in a one-year deal that walks him right to unrestricted free agency in 2024. Despite his age, he will qualify for UFA status early because he has already finished six seasons in the NHL.

Ottawa could get a significant piece back for him at the deadline recouping the assets they sent Chicago at the draft. But getting DeBrincat for another season and trying to sign him long-term seems to be the plan for Dorion at this point, kicking the can on a decision down the road. If he’s still unsigned come this time next year, his name will certainly be in the news again.

Second, Derick Brassard will also not be dealt. The veteran forward is coming up on 1,000 games in the NHL, a milestone he will reach with the Senators, his hometown team (Brassard was born in Hull, just across the river from Ottawa). Technically there is still time for that to happen and then be traded, but it doesn’t seem like that is in the cards. Brassard, 35, is on a one-year, $750K contract and will remain with the team for the stretch run.

Third, Dorion admitted that he will add a defenseman if he can, but cautioned that the market is difficult to work with right now. When Travis Hamonic’s name was brought up as a potential chip, he said he likely won’t move him – not quite as determined as in the case of DeBrincat or Brassard.

Part of that need for defense is due to a new injury for Nick Holden, which has moved him to injured reserve. The Senators now have just six defensemen on the roster, as Holden joins Jake Sanderson on IR.

Injury Notes: Demko, Glass, Hamonic

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The Vancouver Canucks have had an extremely difficult start to their season, and those difficulties continued with starting netminder Thatcher Demko going down with an injury. Today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman issued an update on Demko’s injury timeline. Per Friedman, Demko is injured on a six-week timeline, and that timeline means the Canucks avoided a “worst-case scenario” with the injury.

The loss of Demko comes as a major blow to a Canucks franchise looking to build momentum and climb the standings. Like the Canucks as a whole, Demko has struggled so far this year. He has a .883 save percentage through 15 games, a significant decline from the .915 he posted in both 2021-22 and 2020-21. With a long recovery process in front of their starter, the Canucks will turn to backup Spencer Martin, who has a .900 save percentage in 10 games played.

Some other injury notes from across the NHL:

  • The Nashville Predators announced in advance of tonight’s game against the New York Islanders that forward Cody Glass would not play due to injury. Per the announcement, Glass is dealing with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. The 2017 sixth-overall pick has three points in 14 NHL games so far this year and scored 62 points in 66 AHL games last season.
  • There was a scary scene at the New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators game tonight when veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic took a Vitali Kravtsov shot to his throat. As reported by NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Hamonic stayed down after taking the shot and left for the Senators’ locker room shortly afterward. Thankfully, though, it seems Hamonic is alright, as Rosen reports he was back on the ice to start the second period.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Travis Hamonic

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The Vancouver Canucks have made a move with cap savings in mind, trading veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic to the Ottawa Senators. The Canucks will receive a third-round pick in exchange, one that actually originally belonged to them. It’s the same pick that was sent to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nate Schmidt in 2020, and then sent to Ottawa in last summer’s Evgenii Dadonov deal. No salary will be retained.

Hamonic, 31, is signed through next season and carries a $3MM cap hit, a number that certainly hasn’t been very valuable to the Canucks. After dealing with some early-season vaccination and quarantining issues that routinely kept him out of the lineup, Hamonic has played in just 24 games for Vancouver this season. While he has averaged over 18 minutes in those appearances, he has just three goals and seven points.

From the Senators perspective, this was a chance to add a stable, veteran presence to a lineup that is hoping to turn the corner and contend for the playoffs next season. Ottawa has no problem taking on a cap hit like that, especially when there’s still a real chance that Hamonic can live up to it if given the opportunity. A true stay-at-home defenseman, there was a time not too long ago when Hamonic could be relied on to completely erase an opponent’s best players, forcing them to play extremely low-event hockey. That time does seem to have passed, at least somewhat, though perhaps with a new team and new opportunity, he can return to being that true top-four right-handed shutdown defenseman that is so coveted.

Getting a third-round pick out of the deal is a huge bonus for the Canucks, who could have just as easily lost Hamonic before the season began for nothing when he was placed on and cleared waivers. There were some extenuating circumstances at that point, but just ridding the cap hit for next year should be considered a win for a team that will need all the wiggle room they can get.

The new management group led by Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin have been clear about wanting to clear some money off the books, and they’re now $3MM lighter for the 2022-23 season. They’ve also added a nice draft pick, though it was actually once already theirs.

Darren Dreger of TSN was first to report the trade. 

Travis Hamonic Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Vancouver Canucks have officially activated Travis Hamonic from injured reserve, adding him back to the roster for the first time since partway through December.

Hamonic, 31, has played in just nine games this season between the injury and his earlier inability to travel with the team due to vaccination status. His last appearance was on December 8 against the Boston Bruins, meaning he has only barely even played for head coach Bruce Boudreau, who took over a few days earlier.

Signed to a two-year contract in the offseason that carries a cap hit of $3MM, Hamonic is going to be needed if the Canucks are going to make any kind of second-half noise in the Pacific Division. The physical stay-at-home defenseman is coming up on 700 games in his NHL career and at his best, he can be a stabilizing force on any blue line. The Canucks haven’t seen much of that best though, with Hamonic playing just 47 games total since the start of 2020-21.

Pacific Notes: Stephenson, Canucks, Russell

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After missing Friday’s game against Philadelphia for personal reasons, Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson should be available for Sunday’s home tilt against the Minnesota Wild, according to head coach Peter DeBoer. Stephenson’s brought lights-out play for a Vegas team that’s needed him this season with a slew of injuries, producing at a career-best pace with 22 points in 25 games. All that’s been done while playing steep minutes (19:48 a game) and spending time without his usual pair of elite wingers in Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. That line’s been reunited as Pacioretty and Stone are back healthy, and after Keegan Kolesar filled in down the middle for one game, Stephenson will return to his place atop the center depth chart for Vegas.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • There are some injury updates for the new and improved Vancouver Canucks under Bruce Boudreau, as the new head coach said today that Oliver Ekman-Larsson should be back next week, while Travis Hamonic is expected to miss two to three more weeks. While the team is undefeated under Boudreau, they’re facing a significant list of injuries. However, neither Ekman-Larsson nor Hamonic have been particularly impactful to start the year. Ekman-Larsson has just five points in 26 games to start his Vancouver career, a far cry from his peak of consistent 40-point campaigns. Hamonic has just an assist in nine contests as he’s found his way up and down between the NHL and AHL.
  • Injury news isn’t improving for the Edmonton Oilers defense, as head coach Dave Tippett notes that Kris Russell will be out for a couple of weeks. He joins Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek as Edmonton’s inactive blueliners. He’d been playing in an increased role with those injuries, but that responsibility now falls back on the shoulders of young defensemen Philip Broberg and William Lagesson.

Travis Hamonic Assigned To AHL

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The Vancouver Canucks have officially assigned Travis Hamonic to the AHL as they head out on a three-game road trip to the U.S. As Ben Kuzma of Postmedia points out on Twitter, Hamonic is not considered fully vaccinated, so if he traveled with the team he would face quarantine restrictions upon his return to Canada. Instead, the team has recalled Jack Rathbone for the trip and placed Luke Schenn on injured reserve.

In this case, Hamonic had already cleared waivers before the season began so won’t need to go through that process again until he plays in 10 games at the NHL level or spends 30 days on the active roster. The veteran defenseman has been in the lineup four times so far, playing a season-high 19:50 in last night’s overtime loss against the Anaheim Ducks.

Rathbone meanwhile isn’t just some last-minute call-up. The 22-year-old defenseman has already played eight games for Vancouver this season and appears to be a big part of their future on the back end. He recorded one point in two games for Abbotsford, but will get back on the road with the big club and receive another opportunity to show what he can do at the NHL level.

One thing to remember about the Hamonic demotion is that while in the AHL, only $1.125MM of his $3MM cap hit is buried. The team has Tyler Motte traveling with them as he approaches a return from LTIR, meaning the salary cap dance will get even more complicated in the coming weeks for Vancouver.

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