The Calgary Flames are trading defenseman Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights, league sources confirmed Wednesday.
Hanifin is the No. 1 ranked player on The Athletic’s latest trade board.
The No. 5 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, Hanifin played three seasons with the Hurricanes and was traded to the Flames in the summer of 2018, along with Elias Lindholm, for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and Adam Fox. Hanifin and the Flames agreed to a six-year, $29.7 million contract that summer.
Hanifin has 11 goals and 35 points in 61 games with Calgary this season. The Flames are sixth in the Pacific Division with a 30-26-5 record.
With this trade, the Flames are expected to lose both halves of a dependable defense pair in Hanifin and Chris Tanev. The Flames flipped Tanev to the Dallas Stars last week for a 2024 second-round pick, a 2026 conditional third-round pick and prospect Artem Grushnikov. While Tanev was the defensive defenceman between both men, Hanifin provided offense through his skating and goal-scoring. Hanifin’s 11 goals are the most he’s scored in a season. His average ice time of 23:46 is only seven seconds behind Rasmus Andersson for the team lead. Hanifin is an all-situations player who could be alternated between the Flames’ top or second pair. But with the Flames needing to shed assets for a retool, Hanifin’s departure felt inevitable.
Since last summer, speculation surrounded the 26-year-old and his future regarding his pending unrestricted free agent status. But it wasn’t just trade talk. Days into the 2023-24 campaign, there was a possibility that Hanifin would extend his contract to remain a Flame. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Hanifin was close to signing an eight-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
This story will be updated.
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