DALLAS (AP) The Carolina Hurricanes acquired defenseman Dougie Hamilton on Saturday as part of a blockbuster trade with the Calgary Flames at the NHL draft.
Carolina got Hamilton, winger Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox from Calgary for center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin in the biggest trade so far this offseason.
The 25-year-old Hamilton has now been traded at the draft twice after going from the Bruins to the Flames three years ago. The 6-foot-6 right-shot defender has 220 points in 423 regular-season games.
Dealing pending restricted free agents Lindholm and Hanifin is the latest shake-up for Carolina since Tom Dundon bought the team from Peter Karmanos Jr. earlier this year. They’ve already removed Ron Francis as general manager, replaced him with Don Waddell and promoted assistant Rod Brind’Amour to head coach.
This trade changes Brind’Amour’s mix as Carolina looks to end the league’s longest playoff drought, which currently stands at nine seasons. Ferland gives the Hurricanes a big winger who can produce after putting up a career-high 78 points last season with Calgary.
Giving up the 21-year-old Hanifin and 23-year-old Lindholm was a heavy price to pay for the Hurricanes. Hanifin was the fifth overall pick in 2015 and joins an already deep blue line that includes Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie.
Hanifin and Lindholm are reunited in Calgary with former Hurricanes coach Bill Peters, who stepped down at the end of the season amid uncertainty within the front office.
Waddell said Friday night that he’d heard a lot of trade chatter at the draft with almost nothing to show for it. Even after making this move, he’d still like to shore up Carolina’s goaltending situation either via trade or free agency and could also trade defenseman Justin Faulk, whose no-trade clause kicks in July 1.
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Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SWhyno
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