The Calgary Flames are going for it.

On the second day of the NHL Entry Draft in Chicago, general manager Brad Treliving sent picks to be cashed in as early as next year to the New York Islanders in exchange for defenseman Travis Hamonic.

The Islanders receive a 2018 first-round pick, a second-round selection in 2018, and a second-rounder in either 2019 or 2020, while the Flames also receive a fourth-round pick in 2019 or 2020.

A seemingly heavy price to pay, but one that demonstrates Calgary's belief that it can contend for the Stanley Cup over the next few seasons. All it has to do is look to the reigning Western Conference champion Nashville Predators as a reference point.

Fab 4

With the addition of Hamonic, the Flames now boast a top-four that arguably stacks up against any other group around the NHL, including the formidable Music City quartet that recently propelled the Predators to the Cup Final.

Giordano is five years older than any other player listed above, but the Predators' average age among their top-4 is 27, while Calgary comes in at 27.5.

Hamonic is under contract through to the end of 2019-20 on a modest cap hit of $3.857 million, giving the Flames three full seasons with this foursome.

Calgary, then, saw an opportunity to replicate the Nashville model on the blue line, and took full advantage.

Last line of defense

The addition of Hamonic comes on the heels of another key trade made by the Flames this offseason, namely the addition of Mike Smith in net. The veteran goalie is under contract for two seasons, and Treliving has stated he sees Smith as a player who "has the ability to put a team on his back."

He certainly proved that in his lone, extended playoff run with the Coyotes, posting a .944 save percentage in 16 games en route to a Western Conference Finals appearance.

The hockey world watched as Nashville's defense helped Pekka Rinne play some of the best hockey of his life this past postseason. Like Rinne, Smith isn't seen as an elite option in net, especially at this stage in his career. But with that defense in front of him, he'll be given every opportunity to succeed.

The hope in Calgary certainly must be that reinforcements on the blue line and in net will complement a young, talented forward corps and help the club take a big step forward as early as next season.

Whether it pays off is anyone's guess, but with the Predators' run of success fresh in mind, Treliving clearly sees it as a gamble worth taking.

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Lindy Ruff is headed to Manhattan.

The veteran bench boss will be named an assistant coach with the New York Rangers, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

Ruff spent the past four seasons as head coach of the Dallas Stars, posting a 131-85-30 record. His contract was not renewed at the end of this season.

Prior to joining the Stars, Ruff spent 15 seasons behind the bench of the Buffalo Sabres, leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999.

Ruff ranks fifth all time with 736 career victories.

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The New York Islanders have traded defenseman Travis Hamonic to the Calgary Flames, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday morning.

On Friday, Islanders general manager Garth Snow was seeking two first-round picks in exchange for Hamonic, league sources told Arthur Staple of Newsday.

The 26-year-old is signed to a very manageable contract that has three years remaining with a cap hit of just $3,857,143.

Hamonic was limited to 49 games this past season and posted just three goals and 11 assists - his lowest totals since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

More to come.

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Shifting sands in the desert prompted Dave Tippett to walk away from the Arizona Coyotes.

After eight seasons, the club and head coach mutually agreed to end their relationship, citing philosophical differences. Tippett expanded on that Friday, pointing to recent and profound changes made by the Coyotes.

"It’s been a long go here trying to keep things going, and now with the change of ownership again - or change of direction again - the instability of the rink and stuff, it just seemed like the right time for them and for me," Tippett said, per Sarah McLellan of azcentral sports. "There’s nothing I could put my finger on. Just time for a change."

Andrew Barroway - a Philadelphia-based hedge fund manager - became the sole owner of the Coyotes on June 12 after buying out the club's minority owners. That led to the trade of goaltender Mike Smith and a parting of ways with longtime captain Shane Doan, all of which also weighed heavily on Tippett.

"You feel it’s time for a change," Tippett continued. "I feel like I needed a change now. Seemed like the right time with ownership changing and Doaner and Smitty - not that those are excuses. But just a lot of things built up and just time to try something new."

Tippett will take some time to relax and be with family, but expects to be back behind a bench at some point.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I’ll keep coaching."

Tippett won the Jack Adams Award in 2010 and coached the Coyotes to the Western Conference Finals in 2012.

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The Philadelphia Flyers drafted winger Isaac Ratcliffe with the 35th pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.

This pick originally belonged to the Arizona Coyotes, but the Flyers swapped a few of their selections in order to move up.

Isaac Ratcliffe

Position: Left Wing
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 200 lbs
Age: 18
Club: Guelph (OHL)
Nationality: Canadian

(Even-strength stats courtesy: prospect-stats.com)

At 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, Ratcliffe's appeal is quite clear.

Add in the fact that the 18-year-old can produce - he led the Guelph Storm in goal-scoring this season with 28 - and you have a player that will have some scouts salivating at his NHL potential.

After receiving a midterm ranking of 20th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Ratcliffe improved his draft standing over the final portion of the season, finishing in the No. 15 spot before the draft.

Ratcliffe competed for Canada at the 2016-17 World Junior Championship, notching two goals in five games. If the hulking winger can continue to develop the finesse portion of his game and grow into his large frame, expect big things from the second-highest-ranked left winger in the class.

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Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick appear to have developed a feeling of mutual respect through the NHL Entry Draft process.

After months of speculation as to who would be selected first overall, it was Hischier who became the newest member of the New Jersey Devils, while Nolan Patrick fell to the Philadelphia Flyers with the second pick.

Patrick had been viewed as the consensus top prospect at the beginning of last season, but certainly wasn't holding a grudge against Hischier, according to the Swiss forward, who looks forward to facing off against Patrick on the ice.

"It would be good to play against Nolan in the future," Hischier said Friday, per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com. "He's a great guy. When I was picked, he congratulated me and was a really classy guy. I appreciated that. Not a lot of guys would do that."

For his part, Patrick seems fine with Philly.

"I didn't know where I was going to go, but I kind of had a feeling I was going to end up in Philly, and that's a place I'd be really excited if I had a chance to go there," Patrick said.

Both players are on Metropolitan Division teams, meaning they could be seeing a lot of each other.

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Kailer Yamamoto is not short on confidence.

The Edmonton Oilers used the 22nd overall pick to select the 5-foot-8, 148-pound forward from the WHL's Spokane Chiefs, but don't let his size fool you.

In meeting with Yamamoto in advance of the draft, Chiarelli asked why the Oilers should draft him, and was quite impressed with the bold response.

"That’s a standard question you ask, and I’ve never really heard this answer," Chiarelli said, per Mark Spector of Sportsnet. "He said, 'Because (if you don’t) I’m going to come back and haunt you.' He’s a pretty confident kid, and he backs it up with his play."

The 18-year-old registered 42 goals and 57 assists in 65 games for the Chiefs last season.

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