Travis Hamonic requests a trade, Islanders now in a pinch

Hamonic, who hails from Manitoba, has reportedly expressed his desire to get moved to the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets or Vancouver Canucks, but may expand the destination list. In the grand scheme of trade requests, this is an uneven and heartbreaking one.

It's not often that a defenseman, capable of handling top-four minutes, in the prime of his career, and under team control for multiple seasons at a team-friendly cap hit appears on the trade market.

The 25-year-old Hamonic requested specifically to be sent to a Western Canadian team.

The 25-year-old defenseman, who is dealing with family issues, made the request over the summer and the Islanders have since been trying to accommodate him, Newsday reported. Should the Islanders swap Hamonic for Byfuglien, they may only get a fraction of a single season out of him, and then watch their investment walk away, leaving them with nothing. What would these teams have to give up to land a solid second paring defenseman?

Reluctant yes. While Myers was a great addition in the Evander Kane trade and most would prefer not to trade him (especially some of us here at AIH), he is the most realistic option for a Travis Hamonic trade. Trading away one of their top three defenseman is not a move the Isles want to make.

A trade is not yet imminent, but talks are expected to pick up steam after news broke of Hamonic's request on Wednesday.

Travis Hamonic is willing to wait. This year he's logging 23:20 of ice time on average and has three assists with a plus five rating. Would the Oilers trade Nurse with Eberle without expanding the deal? Look at the Dougie Hamilton deal. While it'd be fun to see how the reaction to this potential trade would go down, it's just not likely.

He recorded one assist in six post-season games as the Islanders were eliminated in round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Washington Capitals. They'd also have to include just under 2 million dollars in cap space going back to make room for Hamonic.

Hamonic, the youngest of four children, lost his father suddenly at the age of 10 and runs a "D-partner of the Game" with the Islanders to host a child who has lost one or both parents at every Islanders home game. He's not known for his offence, as he has three points in 19 games so far this year, but did have an impressive 33 points in 71 games the season before.

Edmonton might be the hardest to nail down a trade for Hamonic. Should the Oilers be interested in this top tier defenceman?

"I would've liked to have the chance to talk to them [his teammates] and not have them see it online first, but it is what it is, and those things can't be changed, unfortunately". He doesn't put up the sexy point totals of other defensemen, but he's extremely efficient at suppressing shot attempts against and can generate enough offense that he's not a liability on the offensive zone.

 

The 2010 first overall pick hasn't fit the best in Edmonton's scheme, though Connor McDavid's presence on his line has helped certainly. The Islanders have struggled finding a winger to play with captain John Tavares, and Yakupov by his side is an inciting offer.