Player Discussion Dougie Hamilton

[24giovanni]

Hi Guys,

I am a bruins fan and I was wondering your opinion on Doug. Hamilton? I saw a rumor Cal is looking to trade him. Is it true?

Your opinions?

thx

Click to read more...

 

[tmurfin]

He's been fine. Had a rough couple of games, the last couple but he'll bounce back. His offense and skating is top notch, he just seems to have trouble adjusting to new systems, it'll come, just like last season. I fully expect him to have 40+ pts again this year.

There is no way they are looking to trade him unless we get him back in return, a young top 4 RH dman with lots of potential.

With Wideman half way out the door, and Gio getting older, he's very much a part of our future, and will be needed riding shotgun with Brodie.

 

[Dertell]

They may or may not want to trade him, who knows really?

I'm a huge fan. He has a much much better start to the season than last year, although that's not saying much. When he'll start scoring some goals (has a decent shot and 22 SOG this season yet no goal), his counting points stats will look better. I also think his defensive play improved quite a bit this season by playing a bit more physical but there's still room for improvement. Overall, cut down the penalties and I have no problem; I see him as a #2 dman atm.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Tough to judge. He's been ridiculously sheltered this year. We're basically using him as a #5+PP when he probably has the ability to be our #2+PP on the offensive pair with Giordano.

 

[Rangediddy]

He's been a great #3 dman with #2 potential not far off.

He's been using his body more the last couple games which will be a big missing piece from his skillset that he hasn't been using to date. If he can keep that up and figure out the defensive lapses, he'll be one of the most valuable young dmen in the league.

He's also only 23. He has 30 more points than anyone else his age.

That being said, I doubt he's looked at as an untradable player. He definitely could be traded, but he's not being shopped in any way whatsoever.

 

[Bosnian Beast]

He's been fine. Had a rough couple of games, the last couple but he'll bounce back. His offense and skating is top notch, he just seems to have trouble adjusting to new systems, it'll come, just like last season. I fully expect him to have 40+ pts again this year.

There is no way they are looking to trade him unless we get him back in return, a young top 4 RH dman with lots of potential.

With Wideman half way out the door, and Gio getting older, he's very much a part of our future, and will be needed riding shotgun with Brodie.

They may or may not want to trade him, who knows really?

I'm a huge fan. He has a much much better start to the season than last year, although that's not saying much. When he'll start scoring some goals (has a decent shot and 22 SOG this season yet no goal), his counting points stats will look better. I also think his defensive play improved quite a bit this season by playing a bit more physical but there's still room for improvement. Overall, cut down the penalties and I have no problem; I see him as a #2 dman atm.

Pretty much what they said is also how I feel. I think part of the reason for the rough start is partially due to the whole team having had a rough start, and also the fact that Dougie is learning a second system with a second coach since coming to Calgary. I really like Dougie and think he's got a bright future here, based on what the quoted posts say.

Also, Calgary isn't looking to trade him - the report was a team called asking about him. I imagine the conversation was pretty much this:

Unnamed Team GM: Hey BT, is Dougie available?
GMBT: Oh sorry, he just left. I'll tell him you called.
*Click*

And that was probably that.

 

[StreakingRed]

Hi Guys,

I am a bruins fan and I was wondering your opinion on Doug. Hamilton? I saw a rumor Cal is looking to trade him. Is it true?

Your opinions?

thx

The only rumor I heard regarding Hamilton is that the Rangers called wondering on his availability and the Flames said they didn't wanna trade him.

As for my opinion on him - I'm a big fan and am glad they acquired him. He's gonna be a big part of this team's future.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Dougie is the type of player who will look great when the team is playing well, and will look bad when the team is playing poorly. Young players always struggle with inconsistency, and Hamilton is no different. That being said I really like his defensive game so far this season, has been much more physical in his zone and holds both the blue lines really well.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

That "rumor" that was floating around on the main board was from information around the draft about a team asking if he was available and being told quite firmly that he was not.

 

[Anglesmith]

That "rumor" that was floating around on the main board was from information around the draft about a team asking if he was available and being told quite firmly that he was not.

Yeah, I don't know why it keeps being twisted. Hamilton is not being shopped, to the knowledge of any insider.

 

[Unlimited Chequing]

He's been a great #3 dman with #2 potential not far off.

He's been using his body more the last couple games which will be a big missing piece from his skillset that he hasn't been using to date. If he can keep that up and figure out the defensive lapses, he'll be one of the most valuable young dmen in the league.

He's also only 23. He has 30 more points than anyone else his age.

This is how I feel too.

He doesn't have a perfect game (who does) but every once in a while I have to remind myself he's only 23 and when you take that into consideration, his upside far outweighs any lapses he has in his game right now.

 

[Lunatik]

Hi Guys,

I am a bruins fan and I was wondering your opinion on Doug. Hamilton? I saw a rumor Cal is looking to trade him. Is it true?

Your opinions?

thx

No, you saw a rumor (from LeBrun) that someone called to inquire about him and the call went nowhere. Or at least this is how the "Hamilton is available" crap got started.

As for his play, last year things started a bit rough as he adapted but by about game 15 he was playing very well and solidified himself as the #3. This year he has had his struggles early (another new coach for him) but everyone has struggled on our blueline except probably Engelland. The last couple games he looked quite a bit better. He's better defensively and more physical than we were led to believe when acquiring him. I don't think he's going anywhere for a while, but on the off chance he does; it would likely be for a young defenseman of similar potential that is a defensive stalwart more than an offensive type.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

and from the draft:

 

[FLAMESFAN]

Hi Guys,

I am a bruins fan and I was wondering your opinion on Doug. Hamilton? I saw a rumor Cal is looking to trade him. Is it true?

Your opinions?

thx

I mentioned in another thread a couple days ago that Dougie is the most frustrating Flame for me. You can see his athleticism, how he skates, his size and his potential.
But you also see the bonehead plays, and he makes me yell at the TV too much. Basically we are seeing a lot of the same stuff you guys would have seen. I want to see him play more aggressively (he is starting to more), and hopefully the IQ part improves. I still think it was an awesome trade for us, and that we are going to need Dougie to reach his potential in order for us to be able to really be contenders shortly.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

To me, Hamilton has been our best dman so far this year.

 

[Anglesmith]

To me, Hamilton has been our best dman so far this year.

I think he's been our most sheltered d-man so far, and the better guys have set the bar low with poor starts to the season. At this point, though, I think Brodie is back to being our best d-man. Hamilton is still frustrating to watch, though I liked his tenacity against Chicago. He didn't play much against St. Louis as he was partnered with Grossman.

 

[Lunatik]

Engelland has been our best D in my opinion.

 

[FLAMESFAN]

To me, Hamilton has been our best dman so far this year.

Not really saying much though....

 

[Anglesmith]

Engelland has been our best D in my opinion.

I would say of all the d-men, he's looked the most consistently comfortable, and he's been saddled with tough assignments every game, too. Still a few mistakes, though, but you get what you expect out of him every night.

 

[Lunatik]

I would say of all the d-men, he's looked the most consistently comfortable, and he's been saddled with tough assignments every game, too. Still a few mistakes, though, but you get what you expect out of him every night.

I would agree, I just think Gio, Brodie and even Hamilton for a few games looked pretty bad; Engelland hasn't had that drop off. As more games pass the big 3 will continue to pass him, as they should. But I think he will be our 4th best defenseman this year despite what the detractors say.

 

[Volica]

I would say of all the d-men, he's looked the most consistently comfortable, and he's been saddled with tough assignments every game, too. Still a few mistakes, though, but you get what you expect out of him every night.

Jyrki has been our overall best D in my opinion; he hasn't directly butchered a game or two and that gives him the edge, even with him only playing 15 minutes a night . Engelland has been the most representative of his abilities.

He's not a great defenceman, he's not going to break a game open (except the time he did it, last night ), he's going to play really safe, chip pucks out, not make a ton of passes. He'll screen goalies a lot and he'll give pucks away often. But that's kind of a 3rd pairing guy; if he limited the screens and the giveaways/decision making... he'd be a top 4 Dman.

 

[Anglesmith]

Jyrki has been our overall best D in my opinion; he hasn't directly butchered a game or two and that gives him the edge, even with him only playing 15 minutes a night . Engelland has been the most representative of his abilities.

He's not a great defenceman, he's not going to break a game open (except the time he did it, last night ), he's going to play really safe, chip pucks out, not make a ton of passes. He'll screen goalies a lot and he'll give pucks away often. But that's kind of a 3rd pairing guy; if he limited the screens and the giveaways/decision making... he'd be a top 4 Dman.

Jyrki has been responsible for goals, though. He's been easily brushed aside in the goal crease to bang in a rebound or a deflection. It's really the one area of his game that makes me worry when he's on the ice. I think it was a goal in the Buffalo game that really highlighted that to me.

 

[Lunatik]

Jyrki has been responsible for goals, though. He's been easily brushed aside in the goal crease to bang in a rebound or a deflection. It's really the one area of his game that makes me worry when he's on the ice. I think it was a goal in the Buffalo game that really highlighted that to me.

I think he will be a #4 defenseman, he just needs to get a little stronger and needs to gain more experience which will help him make smarter plays.

 

[Calculon]

At a 5.75M cap hit, Hamilton needs to be amongst the Flames best defencemen while playing significant minutes. However, for much of last year and again this year, he's being used as the team's 5th defenceman in a heavily sheltered role. That's a poor allocation of cap space simply put.

When Hamilton was signed to his current contract, the idea was that he'd play up to it sooner than later. So if the Flames believe he'll get there soon enough (either this year or the next at the latest), then they should keep him without question. But if they don't, they really should explore moving him and correcting their egregious cap allocation strategy. Hadn't heard about the Rangers being interested but it makes sense, so something like Miller+McIlrath/Skjei would be acceptable enough.

I really doubt the Flames are interested in moving him at this stage though. Maybe in the summer if he hasn't taken a step forward or management doesn't believe he can do so quickly enough.

 

[Mr Snrub]

At a 5.75M cap hit, Hamilton needs to be amongst the Flames best defencemen while playing significant minutes. However, for much of last year and again this year, he's being used as the team's 5th defenceman in a heavily sheltered role. That's a poor allocation of cap space simply put.

When Hamilton was signed to his current contract, the idea was that he'd play up to it sooner than later. So if the Flames believe he'll get there soon enough (either this year or the next at the latest), then they should keep him without question. But if they don't, they really should explore moving him and correcting their egregious cap allocation strategy. Hadn't heard about the Rangers being interested but it makes sense, so something like Miller+McIlrath/Skjei would be acceptable enough.

I really doubt the Flames are interested in moving him at this stage though. Maybe in the summer if he hasn't taken a step forward or management doesn't believe he can do so quickly enough.

First off, I think Gulutzan's goal in using Hamilton as a #5 (as well as splitting up Brodano) is more than likely to get to the point where he feels comfortable rolling each D pairing about equally. Considering that, it's not fair to say that Dougie is playing sheltered minutes or as a fifth defenseman, he is still being treated as the team's third most reliable d-man. This usage of Dougie as a "#5" has only been happening this year, as Dougie was pretty consistently on our second pairing under Hartley.

To go on, that's not just an acceptable allocation of cap space, I think Dougie's use, play and numbers make it a very good contract. Gulutzan recognises he has three top-pairing D and sees an opportunity to keep his pairings fresh, that's a huge privilege that few other NHL defenses get and a big help in being able to win a possession game as well. He's seen a lot of power play time as well and if he continues to get better as the man back, having a guy who can reliably put up points on special teams is huge for any team. I think everyone agrees he's improved in his time here and nothing suggests that stopping; also having two 40-point seasons as a defenseman under 25 not only bodes well but is easily worth Dougie's 5.75m to me.

If there's anything I don't like about the contract, it's the term, given that it expires the year after what should be a massive Brodie pay raise and the year before Gio's expires. Had Brad been able to get one that expired the same year as the Gio contract 6 x 6m for this current contract would probably still look good given that Gio's pay cut will probably be more than Dougie's raise.