from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

“Dougie Hamilton is coming on a mission, but it’s a mission where there’s still quite a few lessons to learn,” Hartley said. “We haven’t even scratched the surface with Doug Hamilton. He’s a great young man … [but] he’s not the Messiah. He’s just a big part of our hockey club, like every other player.”

If the Giordano-Hamilton duo stays together, and indications are it might, it could be one of the more potent defensive pairings in the NHL, two highly skilled and mobile defencemen who combined to score 90 points in the league last season. Add Dennis Wideman (62 points) and T.J. Brodie (41) and Calgary suddenly boasts the most potent blueline in the league, though Brodie could miss anywhere from a week to a month at the start of the season, recovering from a broken bone, suffered during Monday’s exhibition opener. All the more reason to stockpile depth on the blue line.

Part of what Giordano does so well is help newcomers and young players integrate into the Flames lineup and Hamilton is no exception.

“Whenever you go to a new team, there are differences in the style of play,” Giordano explained. “With defencemen, it’s when to challenge, when to stay between the dots, little things like that. But Dougie’s been great. He’s asked questions when he needs to know something, but he moves and skates so well, it’s easy for him to make those adjustments.

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