[Gaudfather]

Interesting article from the Boston Globe;

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/20...WEN/story.html

In time, Hamilton will become Victor Hedman: a powerful, mobile, do-it-all defenseman who can defend and attack. He joins Mark Giordano, TJ Brodie, Dennis Wideman, and Kris Russell on a defensive corps that is as strong, deep, and skilled as any six-pack in the league.

The Bruins knew Hamilton better than anyone else. They identified his potential ceiling. But they also believed the ask was not reasonable given only three years of NHL service.

Some organizations have given defensemen of Hamilton’s caliber term and salary coming out of entry level. Drew Doughty and Pietrangelo were two such players. P.K. Subban, on the other hand, required a two-year bridge deal before scoring his eight-year, $72 million blockbuster.

“Clearly, there’s been a bunch of players that have jumped bridge deals and gone to the next one,” said Sweeney. “It’s up to the individual team and player themselves to find that deal to be made. Whether or not that would have existed here, I firmly believe it didn’t.”

Defensemen like Hamilton are hard to find. Since Sweeney started his time in the front office in 2006, the Bruins have never had a defenseman with a comparable skill set.