The Calgary Flames have traded another key piece of their lineup, this time sending star defenseman Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights. Hanifin, an integral part of Calgary’s blueline, is coming to Vegas with 35 points, 11 goals, and 24 assists in 61 games played, with an average ice time of 23:46 a night. This is a three-team deal, however, and Philadelphia will retain 25% of Hanifin’s salary in exchange for a 2024 5th-round pick. Calgary will also retain 50% of the salary. The defenseman is on the last year of a 6 year, $29.7 million dollar contract, with an AAV of $4.95 million. This means he will be a UFA this summer, pending any agreements with Vegas.
Calgary will receive Daniil Miromanov, a 26-year-old defenseman with 29 NHL games under his belt and lots of AHL experience. He has played four games this season but has been held pointless. However, he has logged around 18:00 of ice time per game. He is someone that Craig Conroy and the Flames’ front office have been eyeing for a while and that the Flames’ GM is excited to acquire. Miromanov was previously a forward but switched to defense due to his heavy shot. A very skilled skater with a good offensive IQ, his defensive skill will require more fine-tuning as he develops with the team. However, he has the ability to lead a power play, which is something the Flames will be looking for with the loss of both Tanev and Hanifin. The power play to this point for Calgary is 29thy in the league, with 14.7% success.
The Flames will also receive two conditional picks from Vegas. First, a 2025 1st can change to a 2026 1st if the Knights trade with another team looking for a first; they have until March 10th to do this. Otherwise, the 2025 will go to Calgary. They will also receive a 2025 3rd-round pick that can change to a 2nd-round pick if Las Vegas wins just one round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. General Manager Craig Conroy has done well in recent weeks to bolster his organization’s pick selection and add nicely to the prospect pool while reducing the amount of heavy UFA contracts he would have had to deal with in the future.
