Flames need Hamonic to hit stride to reach contender status

The Calgary Flames made their intention crystal clear over the summer when they dealt three highly valuable draft picks to acquire defenseman Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders: It's time to win.

Coming off a disheartening first-round sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks, the Flames made it their mission to, first, find a new goalie - which came in the form of a trade for Mike Smith - and second, bolster the depth of a blue line that was already among the league's best.

With a lead pairing of Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton, Calgary needed someone to complement talented puck-mover T.J. Brodie, and free him from the shackles of partners that restricted his skill set in the past. Flames brass identified that player as Hamonic, and his move to Alberta rounded out a top four that looked ready to compete with anyone they matched up against.

So, early on, how has Calgary played with Hamonic?

To put it succinctly: not great. A 10-game sample size, especially one that draws from the first 10 games with a new organization in a new conference, doesn't provide a clear enough picture of how things will play out in the long run, but even considering the transition, Hamonic's start to the 2017-18 season has been underwhelming.

(Photo Courtesy: Action Images)

Firstly, the Flames as a whole need to tighten up defensively. They're allowing 34.2 shots against per game (25th) and 60.27 attempts per hour at even strength (23rd).

When digging a little deeper, it's clear the defensive pairing getting hit the hardest is Hamonic's:

(CF%: Corsi-For Percentage, Rel CF%: Corsi-For relative to teammates, xGA: Expected Goals Against. All stats at five-on-five, courtesy Corsica)

The Bartkowski-Stone pairing hasn't been great either, but Brodie and Hamonic have logged nearly 100 more minutes at five-on-five, posing a considerable problem for the Flames each game.

The good news for Calgary, which is 5-5 this season, is that Smith has stood tall amid a massive workload, posting a .928 save percentage through nine starts. And while Hamonic hasn't yet had the effect Calgary imagined, there are 72 games remaining to sort things out.

In saying that, though, the Flames need Hamonic's pairing to sort things out sooner than later, as consistently being outshot always catches up to teams, usually in emphatic fashion.

Calgary's built an offense run on the star power of Johnny Gaudreau, and is getting the goaltending it's sorely missed over the last few years, but it's the newly formed blue line - the area they mortgaged a considerable chunk of their future to upgrade - that, right now, surprisingly stands between the Flames and their goal of taking the next step.

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