Hanifin and Flames might not be close to a new contract anymore: report

New reports suggest that the Calgary Flames are not as close to a contract extension with defenceman Noah Hanifin as initially thought.

This comes after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast that he had gotten some pushback to his previous report indicating the two sides were getting closer to an agreement.

“I thought it would be Hanifin signs and then wait-and-see [for the other Calgary free agents to sign], now I am not even sure about that,” said Friedman. “It still could happen, I just had some people say to me, around this, I just think that the way this season has started… I just think there is a little bit of uncertainty there now.”

The Flames have not had the start to the season that they envisioned. At the moment, they hold the second-worst record in hockey at 2-6-1 and are only ahead of the 0-8-1 San Jose Sharks.

Hanifin has only been able to record four assists in nine games and is a -7. His current contract, a six-year deal with a cap hit of $4.9 million, is set to expire this summer.

Fans of the team have already started to look forward to a potential high draft pick after a crushing 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at the 2023 Heritage Classic on Sunday night.

Friedman mentioned that if the Flames can’t get back on track, it could lead to some tough decisions that need to be addressed.

“If it’s not working, it’s not working,” said Friedman. “The way this is going might make the decisions for Calgary instead of Calgary making the decisions for itself.”

Hanifin’s saga with the Flames over the last few months has been all over the place. There were reports during the summer that the 26-year-old was not interested in signing an extension with the Flames. It was then reported by Friedman earlier this month that contract talks were actually progressing with the Flames.

New contract or not, Hanifin is expected to be in the lineup for the Flames when they take on the Dallas Stars this Wednesday.

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