Hanifin to Tampa? Can Flames strike a deal with Lightning?

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We know that Noah Hanifin travelled with the Calgary Flames to Tampa. He was on the ice for Wednesday’s practice at Amalie Arena.

Question is, will Hanifin be leaving Tampa?

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The 27-year-old is considered the best blue-liner available prior to Friday’s trade deadline. Word is, he would like to land with the Lightning. Tampa is apparently at the top of a not-very-long list of preferred destinations.

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Hanifin doesn’t get to play general manager, but the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent does have significant sway — more than you’d think with a modified no-trade clause that only allows him to list eight no-gos — because most potential suitors will be wondering if he’s willing to extend.

Why does this matter to the Flames? Because if Hanifin is just a rental, if he’s already decided that he is going to sign this summer in the Sunshine State, it could impact the return price.

That is certainly the worry for those in the C of Red.

Flames GM Craig Conroy did his darnedest to convince Hanifin to stay put at the Saddledome, pitching a big-bucks deal that would have made him the highest-paid defenceman on the team. The Boston-bred rearguard mulled that offer — reportedly worth roughly $60 million over an eight-year span — but never put pen to paper. If that changes before Friday, it would be a major curveball.

You can easily come up with a lengthy list of reasons that the Flames preferred to keep Hanifin. He can skate like the wind and log major minutes. He has proven dependable and durable in a top-pairing role and is capable of quarterbacking a power-play, too. He has a unicorn stat-line — 650-plus games already as he enters what should the prime of his career.

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Those are all the reasons that Hanifin, if he wouldn’t extend with the Flames, was supposed to bring back a huge haul for this retooling team. Many think Conroy hit a home-run by acquiring a five-piece package for Elias Lindholm. This was supposed to be another tater.

Now into the final countdown to Friday’s 1 p.m. MT buzzer, that hardly seems like a sure-thing. You have probably heard multiple insiders characterize Hanifin trade talks in the same way — “a grind.” Gulp.

Which brings us back to the Lightning, trying to hang another banner with a talented core that claimed back-to-back Stanley Cup crowns in 2020 and 2021.

The Bolts, who host the Flames on Thursday evening (5 p.m. MT, Sportsnet 360/Sportsnet 960 The Fan), are no doubt shopping for blue-line help. That’s been true since Mikhail Sergachev suffered a broken leg in early February. A fellow left-hander, Hanifin was mentioned almost immediately as a could-be replacement.  

Trouble is, Tampa’s Julien BriseBois has already traded away his first-rounder for this summer, and for 2025 too. If the Flames are acquiring a pick that can’t be cashed until 2026, they’re probably waiting for close to five years until that kid is contributing. That doesn’t necessarily fit the timeline that Conroy seems to be targeting. (Sean Walker, who was considered the next-best defenceman remaining on the market, fetched a 2025 first-rounder Wednesday when he was traded from Philadelphia to Colorado, although the Flyers also absorbed Ryan Johansen’s contract in that swap.)

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The Lightning are also thin on hotshot prospects, with a pair of teenage wingers — Isaac Howard of the Michigan State Spartans and Ethan Gauthier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs — considered the best of the bunch.

So they don’t have a lot of prized assets to offer up.

Perhaps even worse, they might be confident that they’re the frontrunners either way. Certainly, they’ve heard the whispers that Hanifin has been daydreaming about sending outlet passes to Nikita Kucherov, currently tied for top spot in the league scoring race, or teeing up Brayden Point in the slot.

So how does Conroy maximize the return for this coveted trade chip?

The best-case scenario, it seems, is to spark a bidding war with one of Tampa’s rivals.

The Florida Panthers are the most obvious option. They have legitimate championship hopes, questions on their back-end — both immediate and long-term — and have been rumoured as another of Hanifin’s favoured landing spots. Matthew Tkachuk would love for his former teammate and good pal to join him in Fort Lauderdale.

Oh yeah, if the playoffs started today, the Panthers be facing the Lightning in the first round.

There are three other squads in the NHL’s Atlantic Division — Hanifin’s hometown Boston Bruins, plus the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings — that have been mentioned as could-be suitors.

Will they be scared off by the persistent rumour that Hanifin is hoping the Flames will leave him behind in Tampa, or are they motivated to stop the Lightning from getting their guy? Conroy is hoping for the latter.

 wgilbertson@postmedia.com

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