The Calgary Flames appear to be in a sell mode as the March 8 NHL trade deadline approaches. They just traded defenseman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars, and now the focus is on fellow defenseman Noah Hanifin, who is in the final year of his contract with Calgary and is considered the best defenseman on the team.

General manager Craig Conroy just completed the Tanev deal, and he addressed the media Thursday. He did not commit to trading more players or anyone specific, but he did say he would be working the phones through March 8.

“Right now, we just worked through this and we're just going to kind of work our way along the path here,” Conroy said. “We've got three more games before (March 8), and I'll just continue to work the phones and try to find the best deal I can for the Calgary Flames.”

The Flames are five points behind the Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but the inconsistent team has suddenly won four games in a row. Should they continue to win prior to the deadline, it could make Conroy more reluctant to trade the smooth skating Hanifin. At the very least, it might drive the price up to acquire him.

The 27-year-old Hanifin has 11 goals and 23 assists in 59 games and is averaging 23:44 of ice time per game.

Noah Hanifin has a modified no-trade clause in his contract and he can submit an eight-team no-trade list that would possibly limit the number of teams the Flames could talk to about a possible deal.