New Jersey Devils: 3 Trade Targets On Calgary Flames

Noah Hanifin

Noah Hanifin is a player that’s been all over the place in his production. He was drafted to be a superstar on the blueline, but that never really came to fruition. It’s not to say he’s not really good, but he never made the upper echelon of defenders. That’s why he was traded by the Carolina Hurricanes to the Calgary Flames, and it’s why his name has been mentioned in trade talks again.

Hanifin is better than Zadorov, but people are talking about Zadorov because he has an active trade demand. However, Hanifin had a previous trade demand that was rescinded while the two sides worked on a possible contract extension. That has to be dead in the water now, right? Hanifin was reconsidering his position because a new coach was in place. Now that the results are worse, it might be time for a divorce.

Hanifin has one year left on his deal, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Flames might have a very high price on Hanifin, but we don’t think they are going to get that. He’s just a question mark from multiple fronts (fitting in with a new team, future contract demands, his ceiling, etc.).

Would this fix everything? Probably not. The Devils need Hughes and Hischier back, hoping a great offense can be the best defense. But, Hanifin can just help them, you know, have a good defense. The cost would have to be worked out, but the Devils have the pieces to move the needle for the Flames.