Well, it finally happened. The Calgary Flames traded arguably the biggest fish in the NHL, top-four defenceman Noah Hanifin, to the Vegas Golden Knights. Rookie general manager Craig Conroy has now traded or re-signed all of his big six pending unrestricted free agents this year. To recap: Tyler Toffoli was traded to the New Jersey Devils, Mikael Backlund was re-signed and (finally) named captain, Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm went to the Vancouver Canucks in separate deals, Chris Tanev was shipped to the Dallas Stars, and now Hanifin joins last year’s Stanley Cup champs. Fans and media alike have been pretty supportive of the moves made thus far, as the organization kickstarts its “re-tool on the fly.”
This most recent trade, however, is under a bit more of a microscope. In an ideal world, the Flames would have re-signed the 27-year-old top-four rearguard, but he made it known he intended to test the market. After shopping him for a while, the Golden Knights emerged as buyers as they again benefited from placing captain Mark Stone on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Otherwise, they could not have made such a trade due to being pressed up against the salary cap. Being that Hanifin was the biggest trade chip available league-wide, whatever his return was would theoretically shape the market for other teams shopping similar or lesser players. Breaking the trend of most previous trades, what the Golden Knights sent back has come under a bit more scrutiny. Without further ado, let’s dive into the big transaction and analyze the trade return as well as how the Flames are affected moving forward.
A Potentially Underwhelming Return
For those unaware, the Flames traded Hanifin with a 50% salary retention to the Golden Knights for defenceman Daniil Miromanov, a 2025 or 2026 first-round draft pick, and a 2025 conditional third-round pick. The Philadelphia Flyers also retained an additional 25% of Hanifin’s contract in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick. The “or” for the first-rounder was there as the Golden Knights could elect to trade their 2025 first until March 10, and the Flames would then get the pick in 2026 instead.
The Golden Knights subsequently moved the pick to the San Jose Sharks for Tomas Hertl, so the Flames’ pick is two years away. The 2025 third will change into a second if the Golden Knights win one playoff round this season. If the playoffs started today they would be facing the Dallas Stars, which could prove to be a tall task. The picks coming back are definitely being overlooked; the 2025 and 2026 Drafts are supposedly going to be much deeper than the upcoming 2024 event, where the Flames have two firsts as well.
The return would have a much different attitude centred around it if the “prospect” coming back wasn’t Miromanov. For reference, he is a 26-year-old right-shot defender that stands at 6-foot-4 and checks in at 207 pounds. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and has since bounced back and forth between the minors and the NHL. Despite this, he has put up an impressive 68 points in 95 American Hockey League games, and seven points in 29 NHL contests. Miromanov has been buried behind a deep Golden Knights blue line, and may now get his chance to shine with more playing time with the Flames. The fact that he is an older prospect bothers many critics, but obviously Flames brass saw something they like as they immediately signed him to a two-year contract extension. But did Conroy truly exhaust the potential to acquire a younger blueliner such as Kaeden Korczak or Lukas Cormier first?
Moving Forward
Flames fans should be happy about at least one thing: Hanifin didn’t walk for nothing. Conroy stated when he was hired that he would not let a repeat of the Johnny Gaudreau situation take place under his watch. So far, so good on that front. Overall, the team has gotten roster players Yegor Sharangovich, Andrei Kuzmenko, prospects Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, Artem Grushnikov, and Miromanov, while giving his scouting department two more first-rounders, another second, four thirds, a fourth and a fifth. Not too shabby. The other overlooked aspect is that Conroy is trading for players who want to play in Cowtown. Sharangovich and Miromanov both signed extensions before even putting on a Flames jersey, and Kuzmenko has cited interest in doing the same. Now the focus can be on finding the best targets for each draft selection, as well as seeing how the players and prospects fit in the Flames system.
Depending on how the rest of this season goes and the near future pans out, Conroy could look like a genius. The picks acquired won’t be high ones as the Golden Knights are set to be competitive for a while, and the player brought back isn’t groundbreaking as of today. The onus will be on rookie head coach Ryan Huska and his staff to set up Miromanov for success, as well as the amateur scouting department to make the most of their new pick options. Maybe Miromanov knocks it out of the park and stays a serviceable Flame forever, or maybe he is flipped for more assets after a season or two. Regardless, the precedent has been set that only those who want to play and succeed as a Flame will be rewarded, like he and Sharangovich. The others will simply become a part of the business, like Hanifin and the others.
Related: Calgary Flames Have Monumental Draft Ahead of Them
In the end, both parties got what they wanted. Hanifin gets to go to an American market team competing for a Cup, and the Flames recouped assets for their troubles instead of watching another big-ticket free agent leave for free. Time will tell who really “wins” this trade, but for now, Conroy and the Flames are continuing to retool and execute on the new vision for the franchise.
