Player Discussion Travis Hamonic (D)

[aragorn]

JBD with a solid training game blocking shots & playing a sound positional game. I think Hamonic will help Kleven as he helped Sanderson in his first yr in the NHL, I expect that he will share that 6th spot with JBD & be an injury replacement on D. Hamonic is in the last yr of his contract & it's doubtful he will be re-signed. However, Kleven will need to step up at some point & develop a mean streak & come to the defence of teammates as will Yak in future too.

 

[coladin]

Gotta give him his props, he is moving much better, but still prefer JBD

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I think he outplayed JBD by a little in TC but the big factor is the 3rd pairing with Kleven and this is to start the season to have a more veteran presence to start the year. JBD will see more games as Kleven's NHL game matures and he shows consistency.

Kleven was mostly fine during TC ... but he is a rookie and he won't be perfect. I think he gets better as he goes and shows more of his upside.

JBD is fine positionally. He is smart .. but he is not quick, not fast and he lacks some strength.

 

[aragorn]

I think it depends what people's expectations are for 3rd pairing defencemen. They are not going to wow you with flashy plays, they are needed to play a solid steady consistent defensive game, be hard to play against & reduce the goals against 5 on 5 & on the PK. Ott doesn't need them to score a ton of goals or become an elite player, they need solid & steady D play, hit, block shots, come your teammates defence & that's basically it.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

Yeah, this dude still sucks.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

I think it depends what people's expectations are for 3rd pairing defencemen. They are not going to wow you with flashy plays, they are needed to play a solid steady consistent defensive game, be hard to play against & reduce the goals against 5 on 5 & on the PK. Ott doesn't need them to score a ton of goals or become an elite player, they need solid & steady D play, hit, block shots, come your teammates defence & that's basically it.

So basically the opposite of Hamonic.

 

[Micklebot]

I thought his game was ok (relative to expectations for your 6/7) until the last two shifts where he got hemmed in both times for very long shifts leading to quality chances against.

 

[aragorn]

So basically the opposite of Hamonic.

Still carrying on with that negative attitude, glass constantly half empty.

 

[Micklebot]

Still carrying on with that negative attitude, glass constantly half empty.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

I thought his game was ok (relative to expectations for your 6/7) until the last two shifts where he got hemmed in both times for very long shifts leading to quality chances against.

ok relative to a bad or mediocre tanking teams 6/7? sure maybe.

ok for a teams wanting to be great or a contender? naw.

Still carrying on with that negative attitude, glass constantly half empty.

i mean hamonic's tank is empty. so in relation to hamonic, the glass is full empty.

hamonic on the ice has the same effect that korpisalo had on this team. momentum buster, his teammates can't trust him.

 

[aragorn]

ok relative to a bad or mediocre tanking teams 6/7? sure maybe.

ok for a teams wanting to be great or a contender? naw.


i mean hamonic's tank is empty. so in relation to hamonic, the glass is full empty.

hamonic on the ice has the same effect that korpisalo had on this team. momentum buster, his teammates can't trust him.

They beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions, last yr they didn't make the playoffs. they won & you choose the negative route as always. Hamonic played well last night, he plays hard minutes usually against the other team's best lines & he was playing with a rookie as he did with Sanderson the yr before teaching him the ropes. He's important to the team right now, but it's likely his last yr & I expect JBD to share games with him. They won the game with Hamonic in the lineup, he didn't hurt the team, they WON.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

They beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions, last yr they didn't make the playoffs. they won & you choose the negative route as always. Hamonic played well last night, he plays hard minutes usually against the other team's best lines & he was playing with a rookie as he did with Sanderson the yr before teaching him the ropes. He's important to the team right now, but it's likely his last yr & I expect JBD to share games with him. They won the game with Hamonic in the lineup, he didn't hurt the team, they WON.

one of the differences between teams like florida, vegas, dallas and the sens is that the contenders don't have anyone on their roster as weak as hamonic. don't we want to be those teams? don't we want to be the defending Stanley Cup Champions?

and naw there were positives, with every game ullmark is showing that he is a real vezina goalie and as long as we can score he could probably carry us to the playoffs, if the team gets better defensively we should be close to locks.

but hamonic is a weakness. he made it harder for sanderson having to babysit his partner as a rookie and now he is making it harder for kleven as a rookie.

 

[aragorn]

one of the differences between teams like florida, vegas, dallas and the sens is that the contenders don't have anyone on their roster as weak as hamonic. don't we want to be those teams? don't we want to be the defending Stanley Cup Champions?

and naw there were positives, with every game ullmark is showing that he is a real vezina goalie and as long as we can score he could probably carry us to the playoffs, if the team gets better defensively we should be close to locks.

but hamonic is a weakness. he made it harder for sanderson having to babysit his partner as a rookie and now he is making it harder for kleven as a rookie.

Some of the differences between those teams & the Sens is that they have older veteran players who know how to play the game the way good coaches want. They also have had good veteran coaches over the yrs because they are much richer teams that Ott could not afford in the past

We are trending to be those teams since we just beat the defending champions & now have a goalie who makes the important saves at the right time. Hamonic has a one way ccheap ontract that Staois couldn't move or maybe didn't want to because both he & Green believe he is a good mentor for the young guys as Sanderson said he was for him. Coaches have always & continue to trust veteran players over younger players in most cases because they view veterans as knowing how to play the right way whereas rookies at times get overwhelmed & make mistakes.

 

[Icelevel]

Needs to be replaced with a big strong steady partner for Kleven.

Should be near the very top of priorities.

Not sure jbd can do it but he gets the next chance.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1844736225476837759

I thought Kleven did a good job of playing the man down low , separating the puck, and shutting down the cycle.

That RD is a a weak spot and although TH was ok in preseason , the lower intensity obviously helped. Stick JBD in and see how he does.. I don't know how much it helps but they should try it. Its 1 game for everybody but the 1st 10 or less could result in a move. There are still a couple RD available.
It will take a roster move to bring someone in.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Some of the differences between those teams & the Sens is that they have older veteran players who know how to play the game the way good coaches want. They also have had good veteran coaches over the yrs because they are much richer teams that Ott could not afford in the past

We are trending to be those teams since we just beat the defending champions & now have a goalie who makes the important saves at the right time. Hamonic has a one way ccheap ontract that Staois couldn't move or maybe didn't want to because both he & Green believe he is a good mentor for the young guys as Sanderson said he was for him. Coaches have always & continue to trust veteran players over younger players in most cases because they view veterans as knowing how to play the right way whereas rookies at times get overwhelmed & make mistakes.

i agree with all that but the last sentence is the defining aspect of Hamonic's game now.

he gets overwhelmed in important moments and makes mistakes that shouldn't happen.

 

[aragorn]

Needs to be replaced with a big strong steady partner for Kleven.

Should be near the very top of priorities.

Not sure jbd can do it but he gets the next chance.

I think eventually Yakenchuk will be that guy & as the coaches come to trust him in all situations he slowly moves up the roster pushing down an aging older vet like Jensen or Zub on the right side. Of course, we are a yr or two away from seeing that or Yak making the team & it will be up to Hamonic, Kleven & JBD to hold down that 3rd pairing this yr. If not, Staois has some trade options if the need arises to move on from one of those guys.

 

[Micklebot]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1844736225476837759

I thought Kleven did a good job of playing the man down low , separating the puck, and shutting down the cycle.

That RD is a a weak spot and although TH was ok in preseason , the lower intensity obviously helped. Stick JBD in and see how he does.. I don't know how much it helps but they should try it. Its 1 game for everybody but the 1st 10 or less could result in a move. There are still a couple RD available.
It will take a roster move to bring someone in.

I like JBD better than Hamonic, so I'd be good with that, I think Hammer faded as the game went on, I think he's ideally the 10-14 min dman these days, and if/when he gets trapped, it affects him the rest of the game.

I think he was ok the first two periods though.

 

[aragorn]

i agree with all that but the last sentence is the defining aspect of Hamonic's game now.

he gets overwhelmed in important moments and makes mistakes that shouldn't happen.

Mistakes happen with every player in every game, the question is whether those mistakes are constant or occassional & how often they hurt the team. If they were constant as you believe the coaching staff should be the first to notice it & rectify it & I assume they will. Afterall Green & Baumgartner are former defenceman & should know a thing or two about playing defence.

Also, given they have an allstar goalie now that can make key saves those mistakes or weak goals could be nulified as he supports his defence. I saw Chabot make a couple of glaring mistakes last night that we overlook because of his offensive potential. Every team has older stay at home defencemen who come to the aid of their younger players as Hamonic does which again coaches like. Every team also has defencemen & players who make mistakes which is why every team covets allstar goalies.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I like JBD better than Hamonic, so I'd be good with that, I think Hammer faded as the game went on, I think he's ideally the 10-14 min dman these days, and if/when he gets trapped, it affects him the rest of the game.

I think he was ok the first two periods though.

I found him a bit erratic. He did very little well imo. I was hoping we'd see better , without expecting the world. Its 1 game but to me it is a concern.
My biggest concern on that pair is a steadying factor for Kleven and I didn't see than last night. I don't see JBD as the answer either but I'd get him in there sooner than later

 

[Xspyrit]

Hamonic played well last night

He had 27.70 xGF% last night

What is it when he plays bad?

I think the problem is that there’s 2 schools of thought

For some, a D-man plays good when he plays “hard”, even if he gets caved in all game

For some others, a D-man plays well when he contributes from keeping the puck away from his own zone, limiting shots and chances against, helping keeping his goalie fresh for 60 minutes

I am personally in the more modern 2nd school

 

[BigRig4]

They beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions, last yr they didn't make the playoffs. they won & you choose the negative route as always. Hamonic played well last night, he plays hard minutes usually against the other team's best lines & he was playing with a rookie as he did with Sanderson the yr before teaching him the ropes. He's important to the team right now, but it's likely his last yr & I expect JBD to share games with him. They won the game with Hamonic in the lineup, he didn't hurt the team, they WON.

We won in spite of Hamonic because Ullmark stood on his head. If this was last year, we lose 4-3 and we rightly identify Hamonic as one of the problems. He just doesn't have it anymore - time to try JBD or find outside help.

 

[Micklebot]

He had 27.70 xGF% last night

What is it when he plays bad?

I think the problem is that there’s 2 schools of thought

For some, a D-man plays good when he plays “hard”, even if he gets caved in all game

For some others, a D-man plays well when he contributes from keeping the puck away from his own zone, limiting shots and chances against, helping keeping his goalie fresh for 60 minutes

I am personally in the more modern 2nd school

Ok, so we can play that game.

Sanderson had a 29.65 xGF% last night and he played very well. What is it like when he plays bad?

Chabot had a 70.65% xGF% and people thought he was bad, what does he look like when he plays well, the Norris is his?

 

[SpezDispenser]

Warning: Don't assess Hamonic too much based on a game where the Panthers were nothing short of beast mode at forechecking.

 

[DanyHeatley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1844736225476837759

I thought Kleven did a good job of playing the man down low , separating the puck, and shutting down the cycle.

That RD is a a weak spot and although TH was ok in preseason , the lower intensity obviously helped. Stick JBD in and see how he does.. I don't know how much it helps but they should try it. Its 1 game for everybody but the 1st 10 or less could result in a move. There are still a couple RD available.
It will take a roster move to bring someone in.

Agree with this.

I thought TH did close to just “enough” in term of playing that 3rd pair role. He did collapse a bit in the 3rd period but I thought the first two, he played as expected of him.

That being said, I’d like to see JBD in that role.

And as I’ve said multiple times Kevin Shattenkirk is available. He’s be a perfect fit for the “culture” Staios and Green are trying to engrave in the team