Travis Hamonic was traded to the Ottawa Senators by the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
The 31-year-old defenseman has scored seven points (three goals, four assists) in 24 games this season. He did not play until Nov. 2 after missing training camp and the preseason for personal reasons.
"He has some offensive creativity to his game, but he really takes pride in defending top lines," Senators associate coach Jack Capuano, who coached Hamonic with the New York Islanders said Monday. "He's a right shot. When you have a player who takes pride in shutting down top lines as he did in New York, that's what he's going to give you."
Hamonic, who has one season remaining on a two-year, $6 million contract (average annual value of $3 million) he signed with the Canucks on July 28, could play his 700th NHL game when the Senators visit the Islanders on Tuesday.
"I think he's excited to come, I think he can help our hockey team," Capuano said. "The relationship with coaches and players, he's one of these guys that I'm sure (coach) DJ (Smith) will have, it will be easy get along with him just because the way DJ understands players and how players want to work, how they take care of themselves off the ice. Travis is a 10 out of 10 in that area.
"At the end of the day, he's a guy that is going to be reliable for the hockey team. I think guys will be able to look up to him in a way of how he takes care of himself off the ice, how he does his charity, give back to the community, that they'll be impressed."
A second-round pick (No. 53) by the Islanders in the 2008 NHL Draft, Hamonic has scored 205 points (43 goals, 162 assists) in 699 NHL games for New York, the Calgary Flames and Vancouver.
Also on Sunday, the Canucks acquired defenseman Travis Dermott in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
