Boston Bruins Miss On Dan Hamhuis At NHL Trade Deadline
Boston Bruins Miss On Dan Hamhuis At NHL Trade Deadline
The Boston Bruins failed to acquire a top-4 defenseman for their push to the playoffs in Dan Hamhuis. Whether or not the Bruins should have even been after Hamhuis at all is a whole different discussion. The team eventually decided to settle on John-Michael Liles, however.
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The Boston Bruins have been in need of an improvement on defense since trading away Johnny Boychuk two offseasons ago, and Dan Hamhuis is a legitimate top-4 option with experience. There are two clear knocks on Dan Hamhuis, including his age and pending unrestricted free agent status. The Bruins made an aggressive push in the final hour of the trade deadline, but it was widely reported that Dan Hamhuis was unwilling to waive his No Trade Clause to move to a team in the east, especially one like Boston who isn’t considered to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender this season.
Regarding BOS interest in Hamhuis, he has full NTC and isn't likely to want to go east to BOS.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 29, 2016
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In 37 games this season with the Canucks, Dan Hamhuis has zero goals and six assists along with 14 penalty minutes. Hamhuis’ career high is 38 points, and his career high goal total is seven, but it’s important to note that Hamhuis is a very solid defensive-defenseman. The Boston Bruins have had very little struggles on offense so far this season, but their defensive flaws have been highlighted on more than one occasion. A player like Hamhuis could have really helped the Bruins if they did try and go all-in for a Stanley Cup run. Dan Hamhuis was reportedly only willing to waive his No Trade Clause to go to either the Dallas Stars or the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline.
Hamhuis has spent the last five seasons in Vancouver and was a member of the Canucks during the 2011 Stanley Cup final when the Boston Bruins captured their first Stanley Cup championship in 39 years. The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks do have a connection outside of that Stanley Cup tilt, however, with Jim Benning currently holding the reigns as the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.
Jim Benning became the assistant general manager of the Boston Bruins in 2006 and was with the team during the 2011 Stanley Cup run. Three years later in 2014, Benning was named as the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. The connection between teams should never be underestimated as recently exemplified with the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens making a trade that sent Phillip Danault and a second round draft pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise.
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Despite the relationship between Jim Benning and the Boston Bruins, Dan Hamhuis really did hold all of the cards in the trade negotiations. The Boston Bruins will likely turn their attention to acquiring a top-tier defenseman at the draft, or in free agency.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports