All one has to do is look at the facts to realize that Hamilton is just not the right player for this team going forward.
Facts:
- Team worst -23 in 98 games as a Flame
- 5th in overall ice-time among defensemen on the team under Hartley and Gulutzen
- 7th in even strength ice time among defensemen on the team under Gulutzen
- 2nd among defensemen in turnovers among defensemen as a Flame
- 2nd most minor penalties among defensemen as a Flame
Despite the fact that he's the 2nd highest paid defensemen on the team with $5.75M. It's obvious to me that Dougie just doesn't play well enough to earn the trust of his coaches. Whether its his poor defensive plays, costly turnovers or too many bad penalties; something about his game is just not good enough. He's playing third pairing minutes or even worse, 7th in EV ice time behind every defensemen on the team outside of Grossman. You have to ask yourself, how much would the team miss him if he was traded? I honestly don't think they would.
I get that he's 23 and has a lot of physical tools to potentially excel, but this is also his 5th season in the NHL. How many more years in the NHL will he need to finally figure it out? I just don't see him all of a sudden becoming a good defensive player in the snap of a finger after everything I've seen.
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