In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Noah Hanifin has apparently told the Calgary Flames he has no intention of signing there again. A trade is likely. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks announced they are buying out the contract of Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Why now? Despite rumors, the Dallas Stars may not buy out Ryan Suter, and one insider talks about off-season targets for the St. Louis Blues.
Noah Hanifin Not Likely to Re-Sign in Calgary
According to reports from both Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and Elliotte Friedman, it appears that Calgary Flames’ defenseman Noah Hanifin is unlikely to sign a contract extension with the team and a trade is probable. Hanifin has expressed his lack of interest in re-signing with the Flames, signaling the likelihood of a move. It is not clear what kind of return the Flames will be seeking and if they’ll prioritize picks and prospects or look for a trade that brings back a competitive player.
Friedman said on a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, “I’ve heard there is going to be a lot of interest in him, I think that they are going to be able to make a good deal here”.
Hanifin is currently in the final year of his contract, which carries a cap hit of $4.95 million. He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2024. With his impressive attributes as a 6-foot-3 defenseman who possesses strong skating ability at just 26 years old, Hanifin could be an attractive addition for many teams. In the past season, he recorded 38 points, and in the previous campaign, he reached a career-high of 48 points. Notably, his performance over the past three seasons has been outstanding, particularly highlighted by his exceptional 2021-2022 season.
Related: NHL Rumors: Sabres, Oilers, Sharks, Senators, Flames, Maple Leafs
Hanifin is one of several players who can become UFAs in 2024, including Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Backlund, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov.
Why Canucks Are Buying Out Ekman-Larsson
As per an article by Harman Dayal and Thomas Drance, the reason the Canucks chose to buy out the remainder of Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s contract and essentially pay him $19.5 million to go away is that other NHL teams knew the franchise was in real salary cap trouble and didn’t want to help them out of a jam.
They write:
NHL teams knew that the Canucks needed to shed salary before they could even think about possible ways to bolster their roster this summer. And upgrading the roster this summer so that the Canucks are a playoff calibre team next season was a must, given the aggressive moves such as the Filip Hronek trade that this front office has made. Nobody wanted to give the Canucks a get-out-of-jail-free card, and so to this point, it hadn’t been easy moving money out in a flat cap climate.
source – ‘Why Canucks are executing one of NHL’s biggest buyouts on Oliver Ekman-Larsson’ – Harman Dayal and Thomas Drance – The Athletic – 06/16/2023
Ekman-Larsson had four years left on a $7.26 million cap hit for Vancouver. Buying him out will immediately free up roughly $7.1 million in cap space this summer and $4.9 million for 2024-25. The savings will be less in the later years, but the salary cap will increase, making that easier to stomach.
Important to note here is that the Arizona Coyotes lose one of their three retained salary slots for the next eight years. CapFriendly reports, “We recently learned that a buyout on a RS contract results in the original team losing a RS slot for the whole buyout duration.”
Stars Haven’t Discussed Suter Buyout
Speaking of buyouts, according to Andy Strickland, “There’s been no discussion of a Dallas buyout of Dman Ryan Suter.” He adds, “I know there was some speculation/reports of the Stars maybe going in that direction after being eliminated. Dallas was very happy with his play throughout the season and thru the early rounds in the playoffs.”
Off-Season Targets for the Blues
Also according to Strickland, there is a possibility of Noel Acciari returning to the St. Louis Blues, even though he was traded during the deadline. However, he suggests that Alex DeBrincat is not a probable option for the Blues, and the potential return of Ryan O’Reilly would depend on financial considerations and a reasonable contract length. The cost might be prohibitive for O’Reilly’s return. Additionally, Strickland indicates that it seems unlikely that Logan Brown, a restricted free agent (RFA), will be back with the Blues this summer. Instead, he is expected to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1.
