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However, while Flames GM Brad Treliving is taking the high road on Hamilton’s situation, the fact that the 25-year-old has been traded twice in three years says plenty about the 6-foot-6, 210-lb. defenceman.

Treliving’s contriteness when addressing the reasons why you’d trade a player with Hamilton’s stats says even more.

“Dougie is a terrific talent on the ice,” said the Flames GM, who traded for Hamilton at the NHL Draft three years earlier.

“I think I have a good and open relationship with players, and so there’s things I’m not going to share. We take everything on and off the ice into consideration here. I’m going to keep that stuff internal.”

Hamilton isn’t disruptive or hated in the room or by the media.

He simply falls into the category of a player who isn’t bothered at all by losses, which rubs teammates and upper management the wrong way

Winning, and all the things necessary to do so, isn’t paramount to him
.

Treliving explained the addition of Fox in the mix was essentially out of necessity, as he wasn’t coming to Calgary.

“We obviously felt and got to a conclusion that after talking to his representative, it was clear there was a potential for a signing issue,” said Treliving, who decided to get whatever he could for a player most teams know will likely bolt for free agency after his fourth year with the NCAA’s Harvard Crimson.

The GM tried hard to convince the 20-year-old U.S. World Junior star to turn pro this spring, but he committed instead to a third year in college.

Treliving lamented losing Ferland, whose size, physicality and scoring this year demonstrated an upside that will land the 26-year-old significant money on the open market next summer.

“It hurt trading Micheal Ferland,” said Treliving of the 6-foot-2, 210-lb. punisher who had tremendous first-half chemistry with the big guns before tapering off.

“I love this kid. Sometimes the business part of the game gets in the way. He’s (an unrestricted free agent) at the end of the year, and he’s a good player, and they make money,”

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