GM denies Hamilton trade rumours
CALGARY FLAMES: Treliving says he’s not shopping defenceman around, and is happy with his play of late
CALGARY — As his team wrapped up its first skate at the Scotiabank Saddledome since the completion of a six-game road trip, Brad Treliving addressed a handful of matters.
Yes, Johnny Gaudreau, who skated on his own and with the game day group Wednesday, is progressing nicely and recovering from his broken finger. No, they don’t have an updated timeline on his return.
Yes, the Flames did some good things on the road trip, nabbing seven of a possible 12 points.
Yes, the Flames were terrible in Buffalo — and Philadelphia, for that matter. Treliving’s exact words to describe Calgary’s 4-2 loss in Buffalo: a “dumpster fire.”
No, the Flames aren’t shopping Dougie Hamilton.
Rumours started to swirl when Treliving was spotted at the Maple Leafs game in Toronto Saturday. The dots started connecting given Hamilton’s relationship to the Toronto area — he played junior in Niagara and grew up in Toronto — coupled with his rocky start to the 2016-17 season, the Leafs’ rumoured interest in the top-four blue-liner, and the fact the Flames were set to square off with the Leafs Wednesday.
“It’s interesting,” the Flames general manager said. "I was at a game in Toronto — and I wouldn’t read anything into that, I go to a lot of games. But don’t believe everything you hear. Dougie’s an important part of this team. It’s hard to find players of his ilk ... Comments that we’re shopping particular individuals are totally false. It just seems like you show up in one place and things start to happen. It’s natural.”
Hamilton’s name was discussed as a possible trade chip in a report from Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos on Hockey Night in Canada a few weeks ago.
At the time, the Flames had lost four straight and, at 5-10-1, were the first NHL outfit to reach double digits in the loss column. Hamilton was minus-10 in that four game span.
Since then, the 23-year-old has turned around his game significantly. He’s playing more physical and has found stability on a pairing with Mark Giordano. He has been making smarter decisions with the puck and cleaner first passes out of the defensive zone. His shot helps the power play and Calgary’s offence in general. Hamilton leads the team with 66 shots on net, tied with Cam Atkinson for 26th in the league and fourth among defencemen.
“I think he’s been terrific,” Treliving said. “You can go down our lineup ... when you have the record we have, it means individuals have stubbed their toe along the way. But I think he’s played excellent for us. I think he’s found some real stability and found a base in his game. We need that going forward.”
Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan agrees.
"I think he’s just been fantastic for us,” he said. “He’s played some big minutes against some heavy guys. I just really like that pairing. They’ve come into their own.
“As for the rumours, I don’t really acknowledge those. Dougie is a big part of our group and I like the way he’s playing.”
This isn’t the first time Hamilton has heard his name.
“I’ve definitely heard all of it and I think I’m pretty used to it by now,” Hamilton said. “I’m used to rumours. You just have to keep playing. It’s just noise. It doesn’t really affect me too much.”
Meanwhile, there are signs of progress with Gaudreau and his broken finger.
Before Wednesday’s morning skate, the left-winger was on the ice with Lance Bouma, who is recovering from a shoulder injury. The players were both working on their shots with assistant coach Martin Gelinas.
Both joined the rest of the game day group Wednesday.
The original timeline for Gaudreau was six weeks of recovery after he suffered the injury Nov. 15 and had surgery in the following days. That schedule puts him back in the lineup around Dec. 27.
Gaudreau is working on his range of motion and still trying to decrease the swelling in his finger.
“It’s feeling better,” Gaudreau said. “I’m excited to be back out there with the guys. We did a few adjustments for the vibration when you shoot the puck. We put a little extra medical tape on it and worked around with the gloves a little bit. I’m just trying to get used to everything.”
Bouma, who was injured Nov. 5 at Los Angeles, is ahead of schedule. Treliving said he planned on getting the Flames’ doctors to evaluate him Wednesday night.