NHL Rumors: Calgary Flames GM Can Just Focus on Trading Noah Hanifin

David Pagnotta: Trade Deadline round table with Dennis Bernstein, Aaron Ward and Shane Kelly on Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Pagnotta: “The team we were talking about earlier, the Calgary Flames. That moved (Chris) Tanev. DB, Noah Hanifin presumably next to go out of Calgary.

The price tag, a little bit different – first-round pick, a top prospect, and a third asset as part of it, at least on the, on the ask. He’s a left shot D, little bit different. What do you see happening there?

Bernstein: “Well, the team that trades for him has got to do to sign-and-trade, right, if that’s the asking price. You’re not going to rent him for that. I’m sorry. Unless you think he’s the final piece of the puzzle and I don’t, it’s good as he is and he’s 26 years old and that’s the key guys. You know, you look at Tanev who’s 34 years old, is eight years difference. With the same these two, these two assets.

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Like if I was I’d keep him and sign him, but apparently, it’s not gonna happen. So like that …”

Pagnotta: “He’d like to but Hanafin doesn’t.”

Bernstein: “Okay, so.”

Ward: “Hanifin wasn’t exactly loving it here in Carolina. He doesn’t exactly love in Calgary. So I think it’s a smart play for Conroy to get Tanev off the books, right? So he moves him and now basically, by removing that asset from the market, casts more of a focus on the fact that Hanifin is now available.

So if we’re really taking him at face value that Markstrom is no longer available, Conroy just has to focus on Hanifin. The league has to focus on Hanifin because he is the glamorous piece. That if you can somehow get him, and I’m with Dennis, like you have to sign him. It is way too much nowadays just to give up to then move on and say, ‘Okay, great having you for these last few months. Have a great day.’

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It’s not going to work. So I mean, you got to get in with his agent and you got to allow the player and the agent to talk to wherever prospective teams are to facilitate this in the next seven days.”