Report: Flames soon to get clarity on future of former top five pick

Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin’s agents are expected to present their decision on a contract extension to team management “in the coming days,” TSN’s Chris Johnston reports on Tuesday’s edition of “Insider Trading.” Hanifin, 27, is a pending UFA and would immediately become the top defenseman available on the trade market if the Flames make him available ahead of the March 8 deadline.

As of now, they haven’t done so. Hanifin has changed his willingness to sign an extension in Calgary multiple times over the past nine months, dating back to an initial report from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun in June that Hanifin would not sign a new deal.

Multiple teams have documented interest in Hanifin. The Panthers inquired about him soon after the June report went public, while the Coyotes showed interest in him as recently as December.

There was renewed optimism for an extension after Hanifin publicaly reversed course during the 2023 preseason, saying he was “absolutely” willing to remain in Calgary. Multiple sources reported the Flames and Hanifin made progress on an eight-year extension carrying a $7.5M AAV ($60M total value), but the team then paused contract talks with all pending UFAs after a 2-6-1 start to the season. The two sides have not engaged in further talks, but the deal is reportedly still on the table for Hanifin if he opts to extend.

Johnston doesn’t know which way Hanifin’s camp will sway, although one option is ruled out: letting him walk for nothing in July. “If Calgary is not able to reach some kind of contract extension with Hanifin, they will use the time between now and March 8 to find a suitor somewhere to trade him,” Johnston said.

The good news for Calgary is that Hanifin is having one of the best seasons of his career. He’s third among a deep Flames defense corps in scoring, but his nine goals and 26 points through 50 games have him on pace to crack the 40-point plateau for the second time in the last three years despite a decrease in power-play time.

Hanifin is also logging the most minutes of his career at 23:33 per game – a figure that will increase as the deadline draws closer based on his recent usage. He’s seen significant penalty kill time with positive possession control results relative to his teammates, too. However, at even strength, his 49.6% Corsi share is a career-low.

Combine his potential on-ice impact with his bargain-bin $4.95M cap hit, which Calgary could easily retain up to 50% of, and they’ll likely net their second first-round pick of deadline season after fetching one from the Canucks as part of the return for center Elias Lindholm – if Hanifin doesn’t sign an extension, of course.