As the Calgary Flames transitioned behind the bench from Darryl Sutter to Ryan Huska over the summer, many of the players scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason wanted to take the ’wait-and-see’ approach in regards to signing a contract extension in Alberta. Needless to say, the Flames have not gotten off to a solid start, starting off 3-7-1, quickly alienating any chances that certain players will want to re-up on a new deal.
Aside from the potential departure of Elias Lindholm, Calgary is also set to lose five defensemen to the open market next July, leading the team to some difficult choices moving forward. This past summer, many reports indicated that defenseman Noah Hanifin was unwilling to sign an extension with the Flames, leading to plenty of trade rumors surrounding him and the organization.
In an earlier report today, Rick Dhaliwal relayed a note from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, saying that the Flames are actively engaging the market on Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov. Furthermore, it was reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Edmonton Oilers are showing the most interest in these defensemen.
It is reasonable to assume, especially if Calgary continues its current trajectory on the season, that more and more teams will come calling as the season nears the trade deadline. Of the three teams listed as having interest, the Oilers seem the least plausible, given that the Flames and Oilers have only made three trades with each other, the last one being the James Neal – Milan Lucic swap in 2019.
Especially if all three players are seen as rentals, the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers could all come calling at this year’s trade deadline. If any or all three are open to signing extensions with the respective acquiring clubs, teams such as the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes could certainly become interested, as well.
Given his ability to play a high amount of minutes each night, Hanifin will likely net Calgary the biggest return, although Tanev and Zadorov will also bring significant interest given their skill sets. If they are open to retooling or even a short-term rebuild, trading these three would be a logical way to start that process.
Nevertheless, there is a chance the Flames could turn their season around, leading them to hang onto their pending unrestricted free agents for a playoff run. However, if they are unable to straighten the ship, aside from a few trades over the years, there isn’t a precedent set for a trade of this magnitude being made so early in the season. If Calgary hangs on to all three as we get closer to the deadline, other playoff-bound teams’ desperation will increase their return overall.
Flames. Possible impending fire sale. Hardly any irony there, eh?
Robertson up for a showcase in Tronna.
Tanev or the big fella would prob fetch him. Worst kept secret is Noah going to Boston.
Robertson up for a showcase in Tronna.
Tanev or the big fella would prob fetch him. Worst kept secret is Noah going to Boston. In FA
@Dave – You’re right there. Hanifin’s been linked with the B’s for a while now. Tanev would be an interesting fit in TOR, as long as he wants to be a shot blocking machine, which is a bit out of character with anybody not named Gio. His current numbers are a bit underwhelming, but you can say that about the team in general.
Well … I’d say that some bored sportswriters chasing deadlines have been doing the linking, but it’s tough to imagine Boston *needing* Hanifin. McAvoy and Lindholm are elite defensemen as it stands, there are teams that would be playing Carlo and/or Grzelcyk higher up the lineup than second pairing, and Mason Lohrei’s looking pretty good so far. What does Hanifin bring they don’t already have?
I thought Boston had been flirting with Elias Lindholm in the recent past. They could certainly use a decent 1C/2C who can play defense (so not Mark Scheifele, who got the bag from Peggy anyhow.)
@Nha Trang – I’d agree with the bored sportswriters theory. If the B’s were genuinely interested in Hanifin, who would get shipped out on the back end that is much worse than him? Or which forward (or two) would go? I’m not seeing much justification for the move, either way. Like you said, the D-core as a whole is shaping up pretty decently, so far.
@fightcitymayor: Flirting with Lindholm, sure … although where that’ll founder is simply that there are other teams with more picks to offer.
If I am team wanting to win now going after Tanev. He makes anyone who plays with him better. Only time Hanifan is worth anything is When He plays with Tanev. Till recently Quinn hughes best days were with Tanev. If you pay Hanifan big money with regret it Like Troy krug.
Tear it down to the studs.
The Canucks a player in a fire sale is hilarious; due to awful asset mgmt over 10 long years, horrible cap mgmt the past 8, now suddenly find themselves hot and looking at an “ open window” with other pacific teams crumbling. Unfortunately due to already noted malfeasance, that window is slated to be short lived thanks to continued trading high draft picks and past poor drafts. They have little cheap immediate nhl caliber help – so they’ll trade more draft picks. The circle continues…
yes, and Benning is a dud
None of the Maple Leafs, Canucks or Oilers have the cap space to add one of Calgary’s defensemen and the Flames don’t have the cap room to take a big contract in return.
Maybe Treliving can do for Trono what he did for Calgary! Ya know he wants one of those D-men that the Flames are selling!
Tanev could be a good fit to play top minutes with Reilly. Zadorov’s style would also be a great fit, but a right shot defenseman like tanev would be a better fit for Toronto.
Zadorov can play both sides and is more durable than Tanev.
Either would be great. With Liljegren out long term leaves only Klingberg on his natural side which is a scary thought.