The Calgary Flames have traded defenseman Dougie Hamilton, winger Micheal Ferland, and prospect blueliner Adam Fox to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Elias Lindholm.

The Flames get: A recent fifth overall draft pick who is a stud defensively and has untapped offensive potential. Hanifin hasn’t even come close to what he can really do – he boasts size, strength, and will someday soon boast first-pairing defense and secondary offense from the back end. And in Lindholm they get another recent fifth overall pick who is also on the cusp of becoming a very special player. Lindholm is still only 23 and could potentially be a 70-point player if he fits in on the top line, which is exactly where Calgary will try him out. So far his career high is 45 points after five full NHL seasons, but his prime years are just ahead.

The Hurricanes get: A recent ninth overall draft pick in defenseman Hamilton. The 25-year-old has already achieved a 50-point season and in Carolina he is the undisputed power-play quarterback. Leaving the crowded Calgary blueline well help his production tremendously. The Hurricanes also get the combined skill and grit of Ferland, which is something the team has been lacking in their top nine. And in Fox, Carolina gets one of the top potential puck-moving defense prospects in hockey. Although he’s a couple of years away, he could wind up being the yin to Hamilton’s yang.

All in all, this was a great trade for all teams and players involved. A good old fashioned hockey deal.

Fantasy Players Impacted: Hamilton is going to see a nice jump in production, but that’s also due to his just turning 25 years old and entering his prime. Ferland won’t be playing with Johnny Gaudreau anymore, so anything else is a downgrade. But Hamilton seriously upgrades the power play, and that will help all four of the other players involved with it. Assuming Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner are traded, the top PP will involve Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Staal and one of Victor Rask, Justin Williams or Jaccob Slavin – depending on how new coach Rod Brind-Amour runs things.

As for Calgary, first let’s look at the defensemen. Out goes the more offense-oriented Hamilton and in comes the more well-rounded two-way guy in Hanifin. So TJ Brodie will see a slight uptick in PP time. If you consider that Hamilton was only getting 2:40 per game of PPTOI, Brodie saw 2:31 and Hanifin saw 1:48, and this isn’t going to shift all that much. Hanifin will see about the same, while Brodie may jump to 2:50. That still means an increase on his 11 PPPts from last year, perhaps to 14 or 15.

With Lindholm around, Matthew Tkachuk will take a cut in PP ice time. Especially if Lindholm clicks at even strength on the Gaudreau line. Lindholm plays both center and wing and since Ferland is out, Lindholm gets first crack at that spot on the top line. Tkachuk gives the second PP unit a big boost as he was third on the team with 17 PPPts last year. The demotion could knock that down to 13 or 14, so it won’t be devastating. And with Tkachuk still maturing, getting stronger and gaining experience, his organic improvement could and should supersede any decline that this causes.

With Fox still going to college, the trade boils down to a forward and a defenseman for a forward and a defenseman. So although the skill set and roles are a little different, the lineups remain mostly the same but with new names.

Fantasy Players this helps, in order:

1. Hamilton

2. Lindholm

3. Brodie

4. Rask

Fantasy Players this hurts, in order:

1. Ferland

2. Tkachuk (but see note above)