Red Wings sign Travis Hamonic to 1-year, $1 million contract

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

Hamonic is 35 as of tomorrow, he’s 6’2″ and 205 pounds, and he posted 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points, with a -16, over the course of 59 games with the Ottawa Senators last season.

Update: Here’s the Wings’ press release:

RED WINGS SIGN TRAVIS HAMONIC TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

  … Defenseman Has Skated in 900 NHL Games with New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators Since 2010-11 …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed defenseman Travis Hamonic to a one-year contract with an average annual value of $1 million.

Hamonic, 34, skated in 59 games with the Ottawa Senators during the 2024-25 season, recording seven points (1-6-7), 19 penalty minutes, 72 shots, 92 blocks and 73 hits in 17:04 average time on ice. The 6-foot, 195-pound defenseman helped the Senators clinch their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2017. Hamonic also spent the 2023-24 season with the Senators, tallying six points (2-4-6) and 40 penalty minutes in 48 games. He was named the recipient of the 2016-17 NHL Foundation Player Award, which was presented annually “to the player who applies the core values of hockey – commitment, perseverance and teamwork – to enrich the lives of people in his community.” Originally selected by the New York Islanders in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Hamonic has collected 242 points (53-189-242) and 774 penalty minutes in 900 regular-season games with the Islanders, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Senators since 2010-11. He has also picked up 18 points (6-12-18) and 86 penalty minutes in 42 American Hockey League games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Abbotsford Canucks.

Prior to turning professional, Hamonic spent parts of four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors and Brandon Wheat Kings from 2006-10, totaling 109 points (29-80-109) and 322 penalty minutes in 181 games. Hamonic helped the Wheat Kings reach the 2010 Memorial Cup Final, earning a place on the tournament’s All-Star Team after logging three points (1-2-3) and 11 penalty minutes in five games. Additionally, Hamonic was selected to the 2009-10 WHL Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team after notching 44 points (11-33-44), a plus-12 rating and 65 penalty minutes in 41 regular-season games between Moose Jaw and Brandon, in addition to 11 points (4-7-11) and 23 penalty minutes in 15 postseason matchups with the Wheat Kings. The St. Malo, Man., native won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording three points (1-2-3) and a plus-nine rating in six games. Hamonic also captured a gold medal at the 2008 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, finishing with two assists, a plus-four rating and 14 penalty minutes in seven appearances.

Update: From Pro Hockey Rumors’ Josh Erickson:

Hamonic, who turns 35 tomorrow, was a second-round pick of the Islanders in 2008. While he was a top-four fixture out of the gate for them, subsequent stops with the Flames, Canucks, and Senators since his departure from New York in 2017 have seen his game slowly trail off as he aged.

That was especially true over the last two seasons. Ottawa had acquired Hamonic from Vancouver near the 2022 trade deadline and inked him to a two-year, $2.2MM contract in the summer of 2023 after his first full season in the Canadian capital saw him produce 21 points in 75 games while averaging 18:34 of ice time per night.

Immediately after signing the deal, though, Hamonic’s game dropped below replacement level. Over the life of the deal, during which a no-movement clause prohibited the Sens from waiving him, he played 107 games with 13 points, a -26 rating, and averaged only 16 minutes per game. His possession impacts, particularly in 2023-24, were among the worst in the league. That year, he had a -10% relative Corsi impact at even strength despite starting the majority of his shifts in the offensive zone. In total, Ottawa was outscored 77-44 and outchanced 787-635 with Hamonic on the ice at 5-on-5 in the last two years.

FYI per the Detroit News’s Darren Tomhave:

He appeared in 59 games last season, collecting seven points (six assists) and a minus-16 plus-minus rating. He averaged 17 minutes, 4 seconds in ice time per game.

Update: Per the Free Press’s Helene St. James:

Hamonic will be one more piece for coach Todd McLellan to fit into a crowded back-end lineup when the Wings head to training camp in mid-September in Traverse City.

Hamonic joins a corp that already features Moritz Seider, Justin Holl and Jacob Bernard-Docker (also a newcomer) down the right side, and left-shooters in Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson and Erik Gustafsson. Hamonic could fit in on the third pairing, and help out killing penalties.

Unlike in previous seasons, when the Wings began the season with three goaltenders on the 23-man roster, this year they have two (Cam Talbot and newcomer John Gibson) under contract. That could allow the Wings to carry eight defensemen and still have room for 13 forwards.

That’s all part of what will be sorted during the three-day camp in Traverse City, followed by the Red-White scrimmage in Grand Rapids on Sept. 21. They will then play an eight-game exhibition slate.

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!