When the Flames acquired Dougie Hamilton, they were almost immediately thought to have one of the top defences in the NHL. Adding a 22-year-old top four defenceman to a team that already had Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie on the top pairing? That was nuts.
And while things got off to a rocky start, eventually, all three players rounded into form. (Well, Brodie didn't need any time to round into form; his only failing was not being healthy.) Their team didn't do so well - but when you compare the Flames' top three to the rest throughout the NHL, well.