Hanifin has "made his decision" and Flames might trade him: report
Noah Hanifin’s days with the Calgary Flames appear to be numbered.
With just one season remaining on his six-year, $29.7 million deal, there has been speculation for months that the Flames may look to move on from him rather than work out an extension. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, that still appears to be the case.
“In Calgary, we already know about Hanifin,” Friedman said. “He’s in a situation where at some point in time they’re probably going to move him.”
According to Friedman, Hanifin has “made his decision,” and it sounds like he’d prefer to play elsewhere. “He’d like to see what else is out there,” Friedman added.
Hanifin has been a staple in the Flames’ top four on the back end since being acquired alongside Elias Lindholm in a blockbuster deal in 2018. That move saw Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and Adam Fox head the other way.
While Hanifin hasn’t turned into the offensive catalyst many expected after he was taken fifth overall in 2015, he is a fantastic skater who can play at both ends of the ice and is considered by many to be a top pairing defenceman.
Given that defencemen of his calibre aren’t easy to come by, Hanifin is expected to have plenty of suitors. The fact that he’s only 26 years old and carries a cap hit for this coming season of just $4.95 million makes him all the more attractive.
Hanifin is just one of many players that recently hired general manager Craig Conroy will have to deal with this offseason. The Flames have seven other players set to be UFAs in a year in Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, Dennis Gilbert, and Oliver Kylington.
At this time, Hanifin appears to be the most likely to be moved. That said, both Backlund and Lindholm’s futures are very unclear after they each danced around questions at their season-ending press conferences which pertained to extensions.
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