The Carolina Panthers acquired Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and Harvard defenseman Adam Fox from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm on Saturday. Hamilton, 25, produced 17 goals and 27 assists in 82 games for the Flames last season. The defenseman has 220 points in 423 career games with Calgary and Boston after being taken No. 9 overall in 2011 by the Bruins. Hanifin, a 21-year-old defenseman, established career highs with 10 goals and 32 points in his third NHL season and was selected for his first All-Star Game. He will be a restricted free agent this offseason. Lindholm, a 23-year-old center, also becomes a restricted free agent July 1. His 16 goals and 44 points last season were each one short of his career highs. Ferland, 26, played in 77 games last season and tallied 21 goals and 20 assists. He has 89 points in 250 career games. --The Colorado Avalanche signed Philipp Grubauer to a three-year contract one day after acquiring the goaltender from the Washington Capitals. Grubauer appeared in 35 games (28 starts) in his sixth NHL season and went 15-10-3 with a 2.35 goals-against average. He is expected to challenge Semyon Varlamov for the starting job. Varlamov went 24-16-6 with a 2.68 GAA in 51 games (47 starts) last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. --Ilya Kovalchuk is returning to the NHL after agreeing to a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Kovalchuk retired in June 2013 with 12 years and $77 million remaining on a 15-year deal he signed with the New Jersey Devils in 2010. Because he was designated to the voluntary retirement list, Kovalchuk's rights belonged to the Devils until he turned 35 on April 15. After leaving the NHL, Kovalchuk went on to star in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League for the last five seasons. Kovalchuk had 31 goals and 32 assists in 53 games with St. Petersburg this season, leading the KHL in scoring. --Field Level Media<doc-sep>The Carolina Hurricanes were involved in a number of trade rumors over the draft weekend in Dallas, Texas, and after a quiet Friday night, the fireworks finally went off on Saturday. New general manager Don Waddell and his round table of hockey minds agreed to trade RFAs Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin to the Calgary Flames in exchange for defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Adam Fox and forward Micheal Ferlund. This one is a doozie... Over the past couple of days, Lindholm and Hanifin’s names have been more in the news. Lindholm’s agent met with the Hurricanes on Friday but, according to reports, those talks did not go well. Don Waddell said on Thursday that the team was trying to re-sign Hanifin, but clearly those discussions also didn’t go as planned. So, the Canes felt like they had to get value out of the two players, and based on the return for Carolina, that’s exactly what they did. The big name coming back to the Hurricanes is defenseman Dougie Hamilton, a 6’6” right-handed defenseman who has turned into a dominant offensive threat on the blue line over his six-year NHL career. An original first round pick (ninth overall in 2011) of the Boston Bruins, Hamilton has notched 10+ goals and 40+ points in each of the past four seasons, including a career-high 17 goals last season and 50 points two seasons ago. He’s also under a good contract, a $5.75 million cap hit through the 2020-21 season. Since the Canes don’t appear to be done, it’s tough to say who Hamilton projects to line up with. One would think that Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce are a safe bet to stay together entering the season, unless the thought of Slavin and Hamilton on the ice together is too much to resist (which it very well could be). Here’s a nice little fun fact about Hamilton: Hamilton's 17 goals last year matched Lindholm's career high from 2015. — Corey Sznajder (@ShutdownLine) June 23, 2018 One knock against Hamilton is that he is said to be an iffy locker room guy. Only time will tell if that rumor starts popping up for him again in Raleigh. Rob Kerr of Sportsnet 960 radio in Calgary told Canes Country that Hamilton’s ceiling is very high, but he’s been unable to put it all together in his four years with the Flames, and it will be up to Rod Brind’Amour and his coaching staff to get out of Hamilton what Glen Gulutzan and, before him, Bob Hartley never could. “He’s a very skilled defenseman, and he has to determine how good he wants to be. If Dougie Hamilton ever decides he wanted to play, boy, he can really take a game over,” says Kerr. “I’ve seen the kid absolutely dominate hockey games, singlehandedly win hockey games late in a tied situation. He and Mark Giordano were a terrific pair, maybe one of the best defense pairs in the Western Conference on a team that didn’t make the playoffs.” Micheal Ferland is coming off of a career year, logging 41 points and 21 goals for the Flames. He benefitted from playing with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, so he might not be that kind of point producer in Carolina, but he is a big, intimidating force that goes to the net consistently. He’ll be a good fit under Rod Brind’Amour and should slot in well in the middle of the forward depth chart and on the special teams. He brings some “grit” that the Canes could certainly benefit from. He will be a UFA after next season and he currently carries a $1.75 million cap hit. Kerr’s analysis of Ferland is very similar to that of Hamilton. A late bloomer who didn’t start playing organized hockey until he was in his mid-teens, Ferland has lots of skill and has shown it in tantalizingly rare occasions over the years. “I think he has a lot of potential to be a top-six forward,” says Kerr. “Last year he had a stretch of about two months where he looked like a dominant right winger. He can be physical, and he has more skill than you think he has, a very elusive shot. “He, like many young players, has consistency issues. He battled some injuries last year, and that kind of set him back. I wish I could say in five years I knew exactly what he’s going to be, but I don’t. There are times where you think he’s really going to blossom, and then there are times where you go ‘where has he been for a while?’ I’ll be real curious to see how Rod Brind’Amour uses him.” Adam Fox is the wild card here for Carolina. The smaller (5’11”, 181 pounds) defenseman was a third-round pick of the Flames back in 2016 and has since rocketed up the prospect rankings. He’s now a near consensus top-25 prospect across all of hockey. He did that by putting together two big years for Harvard (68 points in 64 games). He is a right-shot guy with a lot of offensive potential. He plans to go back to Harvard for one more year before turning pro. Hurricanes scouting director Tony MacDonald told Canes Country that Fox was a player who was in the Hurricanes’ sights when he was selected in the third round by Calgary in 2015. “I don’t think he’s too far out from being able to contribute,” MacDonald said. “He’s the kind of defenseman that everyone's looking for in today’s game. He’s a puck mover, a power-play guy, he’s smart and very skilled. He’s quick to the puck and can join the rush, he can push the pace, he controls shifts when he’s out there. Lots of offensive dimensions, but he can defend also.” The Flames had trouble signing him, which could have contributed to their reason to trade him, so only time will tell if those same problems will hurt the Hurricanes. That said, it shouldn’t be a concern right now. There’s lots of time to figure that out. Losing Lindholm and Hanifin hurts. Lindholm is a great second-line player who can play all over the ice, and he’ll be a good fit for the Flames and his number could inflate if he does play with Gaudreau and Monahan. Lindholm is a player that Bill Peters always loved in Carolina, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him involved here. Hanifin has all the potential in the world, but he had his fair share of ups and downs through three seasons in Carolina. He still posses big-time upside, but only time will tell if he reaches that potential. If he does, he’ll have to do it under Peters (again), in Calgary. The Hurricanes got the best player in this trade - Dougie Hamilton. He’s a prime-aged star defenseman who fills the net with goals and has excellent offensive ability. He’s the powerplay quarterback that the Canes needed, and he should be a great fit for the Canes. If we’re breaking it down further, the Canes practically traded Hanifin’s potential for a defenseman who is already a stud. Even if Hanifin develops further, it’s no guarantee that he’ll ever turn into the defenseman that Hamilton is right now. Additionally, they moved Lindholm for a player in Ferland who will slot into a somewhat similar role in the middle of the lineup. While Ferland might not have quite the same offensive upside as Lindholm, he does bring a heavy physical presence. And, for what you lose in offensive potential from Lindholm to Ferland, you get back (and then some) with Adam Fox, who has huge upside as an offensive defenseman. They just have to get him signed after his junior year at Harvard. Fox is a massive bonus for the Canes in this trade. Ultimately, they got what they needed from this trade. In addition, they got a prospect that could be an impact player in Raleigh as soon as the 2019-20 season.<doc-sep>Share this Story: Flames trade Hamilton, Ferland, Fox to Hurricanes for Hanifin, Lindholm Flames trade Hamilton, Ferland, Fox to Hurricanes for Hanifin, Lindholm Photo by Karl B DeBlaker / AP Article content Leave it to Brad Treliving to make the first blockbuster trade at the 2018 National Hockey League draft. Albeit it took him a few days to finalize but on the afternoon, the Calgary Flames general manager acquired Elias Lindholm, a right-shot forward who can play centre or wing, and defenceman Noah Hanifin. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Flames trade Hamilton, Ferland, Fox to Hurricanes for Hanifin, Lindholm Back to video Both are restricted free agents. Heading to the Hurricanes is right-shot defenceman Dougie Hamilton, left-winger Micheal Ferland and blueline prospect and Harvard defenceman Adam Fox. Lindholm, of course, could be the depth scoring the Flames covet, having scored 16 goals and 28 assists in 81 games last season and 64 goals and 188 points in his 374 total NHL appearances for the Hurricanes. Hanifin, 21, is a left-shot former first-round selection of the Hurricanes, picked fifth overall in 2015. Last season, he had 10 goals and 22 assists in 79 games. The biggest tie, of course, is new Flames head coach Bill Peters, who coached the players with the Carolina Hurricanes for the past few seasons. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content All along, Treliving had indicated his biggest currency was on their blueline, with an embarrassment of riches to deal with heading into this critical period. Hamilton, who was acquired by Treliving at the 2015 draft from the Boston Bruins, spent last year on the Flames’ first-pairing with Mark Giordano. The 25-year-old Toronto native scored 17 goals and 27 assists last season over 82 games, after taking a while to adjust to the Flames. This season will be the fourth of a six-year deal for Hamilton worth $5.75-million AAV. Treliving was asked about the rumours of “shopping Dougie Hamilton” earlier this week, and he said with a laugh: “No. There’s lots of stuff that’s reported at this time. We don’t comment on that stuff. When I hear about that stuff, it usually comes out late at night when people have been into the red wine.” Ferland was selected in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft (133rd overall) by the Flames. Last season was his first 20-goal campaign, scoring 21 goals and 20 assists in 77 games. That being said, he only had one goal in his last 27 games of the 2017-18 campaign. Fox, a right-shot defenceman, was picked 66th overall in the 2016 draft and won a gold medal with the U.S. world junior team this past winter. The 20-year-old from Jericho, N.Y., is slated to go back to Harvard University this fall and is currently unsigned by the Flames. Having been unsuccessful at getting into the first round, or making any other types of deals on Friday, they pulled the trigger on the huge deal. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content On the draft floor, they were on the clock at the 105th selection overall and picked Martin Pospisil, a centre/right wing from Zvolen, Slovakia, that skated for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL and scored eight goals and 29 assists in 49 games and had 253 penalty minutes (!). Next season, the left-shot, 6-foot-2 and 172-pounder is committed to play for NCAA St. Lawrence University. Not long after plucking Pospisil, they selected Demetrios Koumontzis from Edina, Minn., a 5-foot-10 left-winger who was ranked No. 136 on the NHL’s Central Scouting list. Last season, he played for Edina High, scoring 20 goals and 21 assists in 24 games and is committed to play for the NCAA Arizona State Sun Devils next season. The Flames dealt their fourth-round pick in 2019 to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for their 122nd overall pick Saturday. With it, they plucked WHL Vancouver Giants centre Milos Roman. The 18-year-old centre from Kysucke Nove Mesto, Slovakia, is 198 lb. and 6-feet and was originally ranked No. 41 by the NHL’s Central Scouting. Last season, Roman had 10 goals and 22 assists in 39 games, his first season in the Western Hockey League. The Flames then picked 5-foot-9 Norwegian centre Mathias Emilio Petterson, of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, with their sixth-round (167th overall) selection. Petterson had 14 goals and 46 points in 60 points last season with the USHL club. And to round it out, they drafted another 5-foot-9 forward, Russian left-winger Dmitry Zavgorodniy out of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic, with their seventh-round (198th overall) choice. Zavgorodniy sniped 26 goals and counted 47 points with the Oceanic during the 2017-18 campaign. kanderson@postmedia.com http://www.twitter.com/KdotAnderson Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Calgary Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. 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In a draft weekend blockbuster trade, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Micheal Ferland from the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Elias Lindholm and blueliner Noah Hanifin. It wasn’t unexpected that the Hurricanes would unload two of their young pieces, as new ownership and front office management made it clear that they would be rebuilding from the ground up, and that meant the majority of the Carolina roster would be made available for the right price. "We've gone nine years missing the playoffs," Hurricanes GM Don Waddell told the NHL Network. "[We] said in the offseason, we have new ownership [with] Tom Dundon; we needed to change up the culture a little bit.” According to Waddell, this was a deal that had been in the works for four weeks but only came to a head on Saturday—it helped that the team’s tables were next to one another at the American Airlines Center in Dallas to help finalize things. "I think they're a team on the rise," Hamilton said. "I'm excited to be a part of a young group … and help Carolina become a playoff team. It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to it." In Hamilton, Waddell adds a 6’6” defenseman coming off a season in which he scored a career-high 17 goals, but is already on his third NHL team after being the No. 9 pick in the 2011 draft. He began his career in Boston and was traded to Calgary during the 2015 draft weekend, taking a season to find some comfort with the Flames. He's developed into a steady defender, capable of 20 minutes of ice time per game, which will fit nicely in with a current defensive top-four on the Hurricanes that includes Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce, all 27 or younger, though any one of them may have a new home in the coming weeks. Faulk, along with forward Jeff Skinner, is among the top prizes on the roster and expected to generate plenty of interest around the league. Team Receives Dougie Hamilton, D Micheal Ferland, F Adam Fox, D Elias Lindholm, F Noah Hanifin, D The Canes deepen their pool of defensive prospects with Fox, the 66th pick in the 2016 draft, who will be returning to Harvard for his junior season. He’s posted 12 goals and 68 points in 64 games over his first two NCAA campaigns, impressing with his puckhandling and hockey smarts. "We're really high on Adam Fox. He's a premier offensive defenseman at Harvard," Waddell said. "We think his upside is tremendous. That's a key piece as we move forward." Ferland, 26, became something of a folk hero as a rookie in Calgary during the Flames’ 2015 playoff run and has turned into a reliable secondary scorer, posting career highs across the board in 2017-18 with 21 goals and 20 assists in 77 games. Even with the big trade in the books, the Hurricanes are by no means done reshaping their roster—they've made it clear only forwards Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas are off limits to potential trade partners. "We have some pretty good assets, we need to turn those into other assets,” Waddell said. “We felt that all three pieces are going to make our hockey club better not just today, but going into the future.” Avalanche Acquire Philipp Grubauer in Trade With Capitals, Ink Goalie to Three-Year Deal The Flames, meanwhile, snag a couple of blossoming players who skated for new coach Bill Peters during his tenure in Carolina. Both are former No. 5 picks, with Lindholm being selected in 2013, while Hanifin went in the 2015 draft, and both are restricted free agents in need of new contracts. Lindholm, a 23-year-old ultility forward, plays well at both ends of the ice and has scored at least 39 points in each of the last four seasons. Negotiations on an extension between the Swede and Carolina reportedly did not go well, forcing the team to ship him off while it focused on the rebuild. As per Matt Cane’s free agency predictions, Lindholm is expected to get a deal in the neighborhood of five years for $25 million. Hanifin, meanwhile, played out the final season of his entry-level contract in 2017-18, leading Hurricanes defenseman with 10 goals and 22 assists on the season. The 21-year-old Boston native, projected as a top-pairing blueliner while at Boston College, has improved his point totals in each of his three NHL seasons.