Flames' Hanifin has extension in place with Lightning should trade go through: report

The Tampa Bay Lightning appear to be the frontrunners to land Calgary Flames defenceman Noah Hanifin.

Hanifin has been on the trade block for some time, despite the Flames trying to get him signed to an extension earlier in the season. The 27-year-old has an eight-team no-trade list in his contract, which has helped him slightly in dictating his future team.

Several reports have stated that the Lightning are one of Hanifin’s most preferred destinations, and should the two sides be able to work out a trade, an extension for the veteran defenceman may already be worked out.

“Some talk of Hanifin and the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s to the point where I’m hearing rumblings that they may have a contract extension already in place,” Nick Kypreos said today on Sportnet 590’s Real Kyper & Bourne show. “It’s just a matter of whether Tampa Bay and Calgary can come to an agreement on the actual trade.”

Adding Hanifin makes plenty of sense for the Lightning, who recently lost left-handed defenceman Mikhail Sergachev for the season. It may not be the destination Flames fans are hoping for, however, as the Lightning don’t have a ton of draft picks nor top-end prospects in their system.

The Lightning don’t have a first-round pick until 2026, which is disappointing for Flames fans who are hoping to see general manager Craig Conroy add what would be his team’s third first-round pick heading into the 2024 draft.

Despite their prospect pool being far less intriguing than other teams around the league, one player who was brought up last month as a potential target for the Flames is Jack Finely. The 21-year-old, 6-foot-6 centreman has appeared in 36 games with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL this season, scoring eight goals and 22 points. He isn’t the top-end prospect fans have been hoping for, but does have some upside and would be a solid add for a Flames team that lacks prospects who play down the middle.

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