The Boston Bruins made an effort to sign 22-year-old defenseman Dougie Hamilton before they traded him to the Calgary Flames for three draft picks Friday.
B’s general manager Don Sweeney told reporters at the 2015 NHL Draft in Sunrise, Fla., that the team made an offer to Hamilton.
“We extended Dougie a very significant contract offer,” Sweeney said. “And it didn’t lead us to where we thought we’d be able to with him being comfortable being part of our group long-term. That sort of changed the course a little bit.”
If the Bruins had kept Hamilton until July 1, he would have been able to sign an offer sheet from a rival club as a restricted free agent. Sweeney said the Bruins weren’t afraid of that scenario.
“It was definitely a possibility, we knew it existed,” Sweeney said of a potential offer sheet. “As we came down to the stretch, we felt that we had positioned ourselves, especially thinking about the (Milan) Lucic situation that we had executed, that we were in position. I wasn’t necessarily afraid of the offer sheet all along. I felt that we’d get into a position to be able to match.”
The Bruins, who also traded forward Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings, now have three picks in Friday’s first round: Nos. 13, 14 and 15. They are the first team since 1970 to have three consecutive first-round selections.
Thumbnail photo via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images
