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It’s Time to Limit Travis Hamonic

Given the defensive issues with the Ottawa Senators, it’s become clear that they need to make some changes. Step one should be reducing the role of Travis Hamonic.

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Travis Hamonic has been asked to play almost 20 minutes a game since Zub's injury (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

At the end of last season, the Senators had a few important choices to make with their back-end. They needed to figure out what to do with Erik Brannstrom,  Jakob Chychrun, and Travis Hamonic. In the end, they let Brannstrom walk, they traded Chychrun for Nick Jensen, and they kept Hamonic for his final year as opposed to buying him out. The expectation was for Hamonic to be a depth defenseman, playing on the bottom pair, and even watching from the press box at times. He was coming off a bad season, playing just 48 games, and averaging a career low 14:44 per game. An Artem Zub injury put Hamonic into a bigger role early this season. It’s clear now, though, that the time has come to limit Travis Hamonic. Let’s dive into the details.



READ MORE: Revisiting the Mark Stone Trade

Hamonic’s Role So Far

Through eight games, Hamonic has played 18:02 per game. He’s a minus five with no points. Zub was injured early in the third game of the season. Since then, Hamonic has been used in the top four. He has played almost 20 minutes per game during that time, typically alongside Ottawa’s top d-man, Jake Sanderson. He has played just under 100 minutes during the last five games. Tyler Kleven is at 77 minutes during that time, while Bernard-Docker is at just 72. During these last five games. Hamonic is eating up almost 18 minutes per game at even strength. That is essentially the same amount of even strength time given to Nick Jensen. During that five game stretch, he has been on for zero even strength goals for, and four against. It’s abundantly clear that he is in over his head with his current role.

The Impact on Sanderson

Sanderson’s phenomenal play in the early going this season has been one of the main talking points for Senators fans. More fans league wide have started to take notice, with questions being asked like “what other defensemen would you take over Sanderson right now?” and “Could Sanderson earn some Norris votes this season?” Well, the last few games have been rough. In fact, Sanderson’s play at even strength has been lesser ever since being paired with Hamonic. During the six games without Zub, Sanderson has six points, but none of them at even strength. He has five power play points and one shorthanded point. He’s a minus five during that time, including a career worst minus four against Vegas. That’s not all on Hamonic, but the partnership has left a lot to be desired.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of seeing Hamonic paired with Sanderson is how offense goes to die on Hamonic’s stick. Time and time again, the Senators move the puck to the point. If it’s on Sanderson’s stick, he’s able to skate with the puck, make that next pass, or take a shot. When it ends up with Hamonic, though, you know it’ll end up as a slap shot right into the goalie. There is absolutely zero creativity or puck moving ability from Hamonic.  Over the last five games, the Senators have three d-men with nine shots: Chabot and Sanderson as you’d expect, and Hamonic, often killing good offensive possession with his feeble attempts on net.

The Yakemchuk Decision

I believed that Yakemchuk had earned some regular season games with his stellar preseason play. He led all defensemen in scoring during the preseason, league wide. I figured the Sens could keep him up for the first month, having him watch from the press box at times and giving him a chance to play here and there as well. Instead, the Senators sent him back to the WHL right away.

Let’s face it, the Senators had shaky defensemen depth even with their full roster- Hamonic and Bernard-Docker don’t exactly inspire confidence, and Kleven is just a rookie. I doubt Yakemchuk would’ve carried this back-end to incredible heights, but with his puck moving ability, physicality, and creativity, he could’ve helped them through this first month. At the time he was sent down, I didn’t see it as a huge error, but given the Senators current situation, they could certainly use some help on the right side.

Finding a Solution

Zub, come back! Well, that’s the easy solution, but injuries are bound to happen. Unfortunately, Zub has been a little injury prone, having missed 13 games last season and 29 games the year before. Given his physicality and his role as a defensive stalwart, he’s liable to miss some time. The Senators need a better gameplan than having Hamonic in their top four. It’s also important to mention that this isn’t on Hamonic. He is what he is at this point in his career. This is when he should be playing less minutes than ever, even sitting completely from time to time. Travis Green needs to make the right adjustments. 15 minutes a night is about as much as Hamonic should be playing right now.

It’s time to give Tyler Kleven and Jacob-Bernard Docker bigger opportunities. They have been fairly solid this season, and it’s clear that Hamonic should be limited. Maybe the two young d-men can make it work with more minutes, or maybe they can’t. But Travis Green can’t keep going with the current situation. A coach that cannot adapt is not one likely to stick around for very long. Sanderson needs a better partner and the Senators need better defensive play. Let’s hope these changes are made as soon as tonight against the St. Louis Blues.

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