Back at the trading deadline, Chris Burton from On the Forecheck offered to swap scouting reports with us on Dan Hamhuis and Ryan Parent if a trade went down. We had to wait three months, but the trade finally went down.
With that, Chris and I swapped words on the now departed players. Both of us have soft spots for the newest ex-member of our beloved clubs, so you’ll have to excuse the nature of the posts. Yes, I’m still a Ryan Parent fan.
Chris posted my words on Parent, found here. But below is his take on Hamhuis.
First, take a look at the newest Flyer:
And here’s Chris’ take:
In Dan Hamhuis, the Philadelphia Flyers have acquired a player who does just about everything well, but nothing great (well, except for that hip check…). ‘Hammer’ is the perfect example of team player. He’ll adapt to whatever situation he’s placed in – whether it be the power play, penalty kill, or minute cruncher.
Perhaps the best way to describe his playing style is that of a combination between Predators Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. Hamhuis is lighter and less physical than Weber, but a better skater and passer. On the other hand, he’s a better hitter than Suter. Obviously, he’s not in the same category as the Predators’ defensive Olympians, and this comes back to being good at everything, but excelling at little.
His greatest strengths lie in the ability to break a stifling forecheck with his puck movement, or shut down an opposing team’s top player as he did many times with Nashville (Barry Trotz typically played Dan in the toughest spots, leaving Suter and Weber to carry the offensive load). Hamhuis’ weaknesses are in the incredibly frustrating mental lapse, such as a horrible defensive zone turnover or failure to communicate with his defensive partner, which was a common occurrence with Kevin Klein in 2009-10.
At his best, Dan Hamhuis is a top pairing defenseman with the ability to play 23:00 or more a night and in special teams situations. At worst, he’s a solid 2nd pair player prone to mental lapses. What you usually get is somewhere in between. Either way, the trade looks on the surface to be a Philadelphia win. Dan Hamhuis was/is the most coveted defenseman on the market in 2010, and with good reason.
A bona-fide #2 or #3 defenseman? He’ll fit right in. Now it’s just a matter of cost.
Thanks again to Chris and Dirk from On the Forecheck.
