Flyers Need To Go All In On Dougie Hamilton

Hamilton: The Solution to the Problem

Hamilton would be a fantastic addition to a Flyers squad yearning for defensive help. He has garnered votes for the Norris Trophy, given to the best defenseman in the NHL, in each of the last four seasons with a best finish of 7th last season. He will likely receive votes again this year.

Hamilton is an offensive dynamo with a heavy shot and great playmaking ability. He is also incredibly responsible in his own end and stands as one of the premier two-way defenseman in the league.

Since 2018-19 when he joined the Hurricanes after his trade from the Calgary Flames, Hamilton leads all NHL blueliners in goals with 42. He has scored 35 at even strength, which is also the highest total among defensemen in that span. Hamilton ranks 14th in total points since then with 121, right between Vegas defenders Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo.

Dating back to 2015-16 in Hamilton’s first year with the Flames, he has scored 84 goals, only trailing Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks. You know, six time NHL All-Star, 2015 World Championship gold medalist, 2016 World Cup of Hockey gold medalist, and 2017 Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns.

He is tied for fifth in goals by defensemen with 106 with Giordano and Erik Karlsson, two more Norris Trophy winners, since his first year in the league in 2012-13 with the Boston Bruins. Hamilton is right in the middle of his prime, and he’ll have a lot more to give wherever he ends up playing next season.

Hamilton is astute defensively, and while he’s not as sound as fellow Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who Hamilton spent plenty of time with, he has definitely improved and has become a great defender in his own right.

While he still has a couple defensive shortcomings, as most offensively-gifted defensemen tend to, Hamilton logged a hefty 22:43 of time-on-ice per game and Jack Adams-winning head coach Rod Brind’Amour was able to put Hamilton in plenty of positions to help his team succeed and showcase his talent without totally running him into the ground. He sheltered him a bit and only gave Hamilton defensive zone starts 42.1% of the time. It gave Hamilton the opportunity to stay fresh on offense and not play heavier minutes in the defensive end, and it also helped Carolina balance their defensive attack with a group that included Slavin, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Jake Bean, Jani Hakanpää, and Jake Gardiner. The Hurricanes were a better team with Hamilton on the ice this season, and the Flyers would be lucky to have a defenseman of that caliber on their team again.