Islanders look to trade Travis Hamonic over 'family concerns'
The New York Islanders are trying to trade defenseman Travis Hamonic according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The reasoning seems to be personal and driven by Hamonic, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Per Dreger, Hamonic has “family concerns in West Canada and requested a move before the season.”
Dreger reports that Winnipeg, Edmonton Calgary and Vancouver are all “preferred” spots for the 25-year-old defenseman.
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Friedman notes trading Hamonic isn’t easy for the Islanders.
There’s a ton to like about this player. He’s a right-hand shot, top-pairing defenceman with four years remaining on a good-value contract. The average annual amount is $3.857 million, although the actual dollars will be $4.875 million beginning in 2016-17. Teams are scared by term these days, but there’s less worry about someone signed to a fair deal during his prime years. And Hamonic does phenomenal things off the ice. His father, Gerald, died when Travis was a young boy. As a result, he invites children who’ve been through similar pain to Islanders’ games as his guest. (This work was illustrated in a tremendous 2014 ESPN feature). As a result, it’s not an easy deal for Islanders to make.
Said an exec to Friedman, “The problem with them trading Travis Hamonic is they want… Travis Hamonic.”
Hamonic, who is from St. Malo, Manitoba, was drafted in the second-round by the Islanders in 2008. He had five goals and 28 assists last season. He has three assists in 19 games this season. Hamonic leads the Islanders in average ice-time with 23:20 per-game.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow reportedly wants an “equitable player” in return for Hamonic.
The Islanders could also look to deal forward Kyle Okposo if a new contract can’t be worked out this season. Okposo, 27, is in the last season of a five-year $14 million contract and can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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