When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Dougie Hamilton last summer, fans were hoping for a 15-goal, 50-point defenseman who would lead the team to the playoffs. After a slow start, Hamilton is on fire now – and at just the right time.
It’s not always easy being the big-name player in a multi-player trade. After being considered as the big fish in last summer’s blockbuster trade with the Calgary Flames, all eyes have been on Dougie Hamilton as the Carolina Hurricanes look to make the playoffs for the first time in ten years. After leading all NHL blueliners in goals scored in 2017/18, Canes fans were hoping for a puck-moving, power play-quarterbacking offensive dynamo that would give them that extra lift.
A season of two halves
Needless to say, fans were concerned as the New Year came round. Hamilton entered 2019 with 38 games under his belt, but just three goals and seven assists (0.26 points per game). It was not the return on investment that Canes fans had in mind – and likely not what Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Don Waddell had hoped for.
However, 2019 has proven to be the turning point for Hamilton. Since Jan. 1st, Hamilton has played 15 games for the Canes, recording 6-5-11 (0.73 PPG) including goals in three consecutive games to begin the year. Those goals meant that Hamilton became the first Carolina Hurricanes defenseman in ten years to score in three consecutive games, and immediately took the pressure off in the media after weeks of intense speculation that the Canes were looking to move him on.
History wasn’t on our side
There is an oft-repeated rumor that Dougie Hamilton is a slow starter to each NHL season. But how true is that rumor? As it turns out, it’s very true. Check out these numbers from Hamilton’s last four seasons:
Pre-New Year
2018/19 – 38GP / 3-7-10 / 0.26 PPG
2017/18 – 39GP / 4-12-16 / 0.41 PPG
2016/17 – 38GP / 6-16-22 / 0.58 PPG
2015/16 – 37GP / 5-8-13 / 0.35 PPG
Post-New Year
2018/19 – 15GP / 6-5-11 / 0.73 PPG
2017/18 – 43GP / 13-15-28 / 0.65 PPG
2016/17 – 43GP / 7-21-28 / 0.65 PPG
2015/16 – 45GP / 7-23-30 / 0.66 PPG
That is clear evidence there – for whatever reason, Dougie Hamilton does most of his scoring in the second half of the season. Unfortunately for the Carolina Hurricanes, his first 38GP in Raleigh were disappointing, which contributed to those trade rumors – but there is clear, and considerable, upside to come. if we can keep his production going or even – heaven forbid – put him on the first power play unit, then we’ll see Hamilton score plenty more goals for this team.
Heating up at the right time
As the Canes push for a playoff spot, it’s not just The Surge that is propelling the team onwards – Hamilton has five points in his last five games, and has arguably been the team’s best defenseman in recent weeks. If he can continue his recent form, or even post that consistent 0.65 points per game ratio he has done in the latter half of recent seasons, then this Carolina Hurricanes team will have an excellent chance of making the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
The combination of being a notorious slow-starter to NHL seasons, and that hush-hush injury he carried for nearly two months, means that Dougie Hamilton barely went through half a season without being thrown to the wolves by the media and being linked with a trade. Now that Dougie is healthy, and in the second half of the season, he’s absolutely thriving. A move to the first power play unit would reap even more rewards, but for now, let’s appreciate the form Hamilton is in – he’s playing like the defenseman we thought we were getting last summer.