The Calgary Flames have done it again. After sending Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev, and Elias Lindholm out of town, they have traded Noah Hanifin. Hanifin is heading to the Vegas Golden Knights in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Flames receive a first-round pick, a conditional third-round pick, and defenseman Danill Miromanov.
Noah Hanifin is reportedly heading to the defending champs! @GoldenKnights | #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/oQoJZsziWu
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 6, 2024
Hanifin joins the defending Stanley Cup champions after months of speculation. Rumors about a potential trade began in the summer prior to the 2023-24 NHL season. The 27-year-old entered a contract year and had not signed a long-term extension. Calgary then fell out of playoff contention, leading this deal between the Flames and the Golden Knights.
This season, Hanifin has already surpassed his career-high goal total. Furthermore, he is on pace to potentially match his career-high points total. The Boston native has also seen a ton of ice time for Calgary in 2023-24. He is currently averaging over 24 minutes a game, which would also be a career-high.
What Noah Hanifin brings to the Golden Knights
Hanifin is an exceptional presence on his own end of the ice. However, the pending unrestricted free agent is not a one-dimensional player. He plays a complete two-way game that makes him quite the threat. He possesses a better shot than most give him credit for, allowing him to put up his fair share of offense.
The 27-year-old also brings nearly a decade of experience to the Golden Knights. Hanifin entered the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015 as the fifth overall pick in that year's draft. The Boston College product played three seasons for the Canes before being traded to the Flames in 2018.
Hanifin took on a bit of a larger role as soon as he joined Calgary. His average time on ice jumped from nearly 19 minutes in 2017-18 to nearly 21 minutes in 2018-19. In fact, Hanifin has averaged over 20 minutes in each of the six seasons he's played with the Flames.
The 27-year-old is a legitimate top-four defenseman who will be a standout on the second pairing. If Vegas wants, it could even put him on its top defensive line. It'll certainly be interesting to see how Noah Hanifin fits with the Golden Knights and how they play ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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