The Canucks shouldn’t move Travis Hamonic before the trade deadline

With Travis Hamonic set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, some Vancouver Canucks fans would like to see him dealt at the trade deadline in exchange for some draft capital.

However, I believe that the team should keep him in Vancouver for the remainder of the season, and perhaps consider re-signing him too. Of course, that depends largely on what type of contract he would demand, but I’m hopeful that the two sides will be able to come to an agreement to allow him to remain as a Canuck.

Why? Well, Hamonic has developed a nice rapport with Quinn Hughes, and the two defensemen have been two of the most consistent players for the team over the last month. According to Natural Stat Trick, since Hamonic returned from injury on February 25, he and Hughes have helped the Canucks control shot attempts at five on five 47.07% and 47.62% of the time, respectively.

More from The Canuck Way

• Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
• What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
• Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
• Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
• 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg

Both figures rank top five on the team for players who have played over 100 minutes at five on five since that time, and it’s also first and second among all Canucks defensemen. More importantly, their expected goals percentage is even stronger; Hamonic currently sports a 49.16% over the last month while Hughes sits at 49.06%. Only Nils Hoglander has posted a better number during that span, which also shows how consistent the rookie has been all season long.

In fact, the Hughes-Hamonic pairing has been the only stable defensive duo the Canucks had in March, which is due in part to them being the perfect fit for each other. Without Hughes this season, Hamonic’s corsi and expected goals percentage drop to below 40% for both since he lacks the skating and puck-moving abilities to generate scoring chances. On the other hand, the Canucks have conceded 4.77 goals per 60 minutes this year when Hughes has played without Hamonic at five on five, which is one of the worst marks in the entire league.

Together, they’ve control shots and expected goals at almost a break-even level, and the team’s only allowed 1.57 goals every hour with the duo on the ice. In other words, Hamonic’s defensive game stabilizes the pairing while also allowing Hughes to run free offensively, which is why the Canucks need to keep them together for the remainder of this season and potentially beyond.

Letting Hughes run loose and play his game is more valuable than any minimal draft capital that Hamonic might fetch in a trade, and Vancouver has other assets like Tanner Pearson and Brandon Sutter that could be moved anyways.

But what do you think, Canucks fans? Should Hamonic still be moved at the trade deadline? Let us know in the comments below!