Calgary Flames: Dougie Hamilton Needs To Step Up?

The Calgary Flames trading for young defenseman, Dougie Hamilton in the summer seemed to be a great move but unfortunately Dougie has yet to fire.

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A lot of people were expecting Hamilton to ride in and be the last piece in the Calgary Flames Stanley Cup jigsaw puzzle, but not quite. The team still doesn’t bear the hallmarks of a team that can go deep into the play-offs; granted there’s a lot of solid blue-line guys, but the offense is somewhat limited.

Hamilton was meant to be one of the answers to offensive production, albeit from the defensive zone. So far this year, he’s only been able to hit the net twice, by comparison this time last year, he already had double that goal total.

A lot of this is likely adapting to a new city, a new coach, new line-mates and a new system; we get it – these things take time. How, though, have the Calgary Flames or more specifically Bob Hartley not managed to get it right?

They’ve partnered the young, combative, offensively gifted defenseman with Kris Russell, who isn’t exactly setting the world alight with his game.

RELATED: The Ongoing Woes Of Kris Russell

Of late, maybe we’ve seen a different side to the story and Hamilton has started pulling Russell’s game up, but this isn’t why you go out and bring in one of the better young talents out there.

Dougie Hamilton, in my books, should at least be in the second pairing; but who you partner him with is anyone’s guess. The Mark Gioradano and T.J. Brodie pairing has too much chemistry to split up and the other options are actually quite slim pickings, despite the so-called depth on the blue-line the Calgary Flames have.

Perhaps the biggest confusion is that Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell, until very recently were on the power play unit and not Dougie Hamilton. We’ve talked up his offensive talents; why not use them?

The last four games, per RotoWorld have him pegged at a plus four, bringing his season numbers back to minus five; if he maintains this – the future is finally looking brighter.

Against Anaheim he may be missing his partner-in-crime, Kris Russell – the question is; now they’ve settled as a pairing, will this affect his game?

Next: When Should Jon Gillies Get An NHL Call-Up?

Will Dougie Hamilton get back to form with the Calgary Flames? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.