Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – The Devil Is in the Details episode on what the future holds for Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “What’s happening with Noah Hanifin? This is gonna turn into, like Lindholm watch is now turned into Hanifin watch.”
Friedman: “Because Hanifin only recently did it become clear he was going to be out there. Calgary hadn’t given up the hope of signing him. Now the market is really going for him.
And I think Toronto’s preference is a right-hand shot, but they were interested in him. However, I don’t think he’s going to extend there. I think he’s going into the States.
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So I think a bunch of these teams down here are trying to figure out, who does he want to extend with? There’s been a lot of rumors about Tampa. I just don’t think Tampa can make the trade. I, I don’t see it. Like we haven’t looking at their prospect base, are they going to trade Isaac Howard?”
Marek: “The most stylish player in the draft Elliotte.”
Friedman: “Yes, it’s the, he, he’s Deb, Deb Berman our stylus favorite hockey player. I don’t know…”
Marek: “The white belt was the best.”
Friedman: “I don’t know that I see that. Like I don’t see that. You know, I was looking up and down their roster. Like does Erik Cernak make any sense? Like, I don’t know. Like, like, I just don’t see what the deal is for Tampa Bay that they’re gonna be able to make with Calgary here.
So, like, that’s the biggest problem I have with the Lightning. Do I think Hanifin would go there? Yes. Do I think Tampa is interested? Yes. What’s the trade? That’s the one thing I don’t see here, is what’s the trade? So that’s number one. Now if they get him signed maybe Tampa just steps up and does something that we’re not expecting. But you have to convince me what the trade is.
So I think the teams kind of are Boston. And I have one person who’s keep sending me DMs and he says, how come you say well, Toronto can’t do things or Tampa can’t do things ian Boston and Florida can? And I’m gonna just repeat what I said last time, I think there’s, I think Boston and Florida have players not picks, because they don’t have picks, but they have players they could move if they choose to. That can get them pieces.
So again, what is Boston willing to do if they want Hanifin. And he’ll extend there I think. I don’t know about the Devils. I’m sure they’re interested, I just don’t know what Hanifin is interested is there.
The one team I wonder about is Florida. Now. Florida has a lot of things that they have to deal with. There’s (Sam) Reinhart. There’s (Brandon) Montour. There’s (Gustav) Forsling. And, you know, Montour and Reinhart get a lot of the attention. Do not underestimate how important Forsling is to that team too. That is a really good player. But I wonder either way …”
Marek: “You saw that, by the way at the beginning of the season, when they had Montour out and Aaron Ekblad out, who was the stud on that blue line, Gustav Forsling.”
Friedman: “and (Oliver) Ekman-Larson was really good to, really good. But Forsling is, is a great player. I’m with you. I think he’s he’s a heck of a player.
But the one thing there is if, if Hanifin is interested in signing an extension in Florida, you know, like what does Florida think that? You know how, like that’s, that’s one situation I know there’s a couple people kind of wondering.
So when you talk about like him as a, as a non-rental as an extension player. There’s Tampa, but what’s the trade? There’s Boston. There’s Jersey and there’s Florida. I think, I am and I always assume I’m missing someone. Like I said, I,I think Toronto although they prefer a righty would have been interested but he’s not signing there. And there’s no doubt in my mind, I’m missing something. I always know there are scenarios I’m not seeing.
But those are the kinds of the four teams everyone’s looking at. You know, I think the other thing too, and I said this on Monday’s pod I’ll say it again. Like, you know (Anton) Lundell I have heard his name out there a little bit. I can’t imagine that something really the Panthers would want to do but if it was possible, was possible, you know, that kind of player is right up Calgary’s wheelhouse. So those are the kinds of situations that I think we’re all looking at here.”
Marek: “You know what, let me throw and again, like if they were in the mix, things would be a lot different. I always wondered if Noah Hanifin got to market, how much Buffalo would be interested? Yeah, it’s moot now. But that would be that would be the one team that I would look at and say you know, if Buffalo were in the mix and in a playoff spot here, that would be the team I’d be, one of the teams I’d be looking at as well for Noah Hanifin.”
Friedman: “Yeah, you know what? That, that’s another one too. You know, they’ve got a lot of guys signed already.”
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Marek: “Well, that’s just it. Yeah, like they’re they’re a full up shop. Like we’ll see what happens when they strip down a little bit in the offseason. But I’ve always wondered about, I mean, going even going back to last summer, when the Buffalo Sabres were you know, deciding on which new players to bring in and what to do with their blue line. Kind of wondered, I wonder if there’s a fit there between Noah Hanifin and the Buffalo Sabres.”
Friedman: “That’s a good call. That’s a good call.”
