TSN: Insider Trading: Flames' uncertain Hanifin situation coming to a head

[Lunatik]

When a Bedard or Matthews is available be several teams purposely tanking. Then have to win a lottery. Most high picks are another Bennett or Hanifin. Good players but not worth terrible season. Majority of rebuilds end up like Buffalo, Colombus or Arizona.

I agree completely. I also am vehemently opposed to intentionally tanking, I believe it is spitting in the face of the spirit of competition. I get teams get bad organically, and sometimes you have to move pending free agents as a form of asset management, I even understand not targeting big ticket free agents for a year or two when you've become organically bad; but I'm really not a fan of when teams move good players with term just to get worse, and when they don't try to retain good youngish players for the sake of getting worse.

 

[lettuceAA]

Lock Hanifan up Flames. 26 year old mobile defenseman that can play in any situation. Trade Tanev and Markstrom or Vladar if the right deal comes along.

 

[blankall]

I agree completely. I also am vehemently opposed to intentionally tanking, I believe it is spitting in the face of the spirit of competition. I get teams get bad organically, and sometimes you have to move pending free agents as a form of asset management, I even understand not targeting big ticket free agents for a year or two when you've become organically bad; but I'm really not a fan of when teams move good players with term just to get worse, and when they don't try to retain good youngish players for the sake of getting worse.

I agree. It's a fine line between asset management and tanking though. If your vets all have contracts coming up or even your team is going to be so bad, even with them, it does make sense for a club to retain some value on their assets.

For example, the Flames trading upcoming UFA's is solid asset management. Signing Toffoli or Lindholm long-term wouldn't have made the club better. What about Markstrom? Trading Markstrom right now makes the team totally uncompetitive. Maybe it's a question of whether you are trading Markstrom because a can't refuse package came along or just for the sake of it? Where do you draw that line though?

 

[thaman8765678]

Hanifin is asking for 8 million x 8 years. I don't know if we sign him with that demand.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Hanifin is asking for 8 million x 8 years. I don't know if we sign him with that demand.

I wonder how much of the 8mil ask is posturing over a hard number. I take it as a good sign they are talking, seems like his answer is sign me.

 

[Larry Hanson]

Love the player but 8M is too much, if he won't go lower send him packing. Let him take his chances on getting a big enough contract in UFA. Conroy needs to keep cap management in mind long term not give in because "otherwise you'll lose him". Let someone else do the overpaying.

 

[Backlund]

Hanifin is asking for 8 million x 8 years. I don't know if we sign him with that demand.

Apparently the offer he turned down earlier this season was 7.5Mx8 so I don't know if management really has the balls to tell him no over 500k.

 

[dugg133]

Hanifin is asking for 8 million x 8 years. I don't know if we sign him with that demand.

Cap is projected to go up like 9 mil over the next 2 years and Hanifin is still only 27, 8mil AAV probably ages fine. Still a lot for a guy that maxes out as a #2 Dman.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Hanifin is asking for 8 million x 8 years. I don't know if we sign him with that demand.

We're never going to be surprised by a GM overpaying for a free agent, but does anyone think Hanifin gets that (7x$8M) on the open market?

 

[KrisLetAngry]

7.5 x 8. I would pay it.

If his ask is 8x8 I mean it's either you want or don't.

 

[HighLifeMan]

We're never going to be surprised by a GM overpaying for a free agent, but does anyone think Hanifin gets that (7x$8M) on the open market?

I think he would.

He is a top pairing defensemen that on a seven year deal would have his contract expire at the end of his 33/34 year old season.

I don't think there is an overwhelming amount of risk to that contract even if it's a slight overpayment.

 

[thaman8765678]

He isn't worth it, he is having a great contract year.

But the past few seasons he has been so up and down.

Still, hard to find a replacement near his caliber.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

With the cap expected to rise significantly over the next 10 years, 8x8 or 7x8 is not that bad for a guy who can play on the top pair.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

7.5 x 8. I would pay it.

If his ask is 8x8 I mean it's either you want or don't.

Hanifin is worth $7M tops to me, but if they're only $500K apart, the Flames should extend him, assuming he actually wants to re-sign. The difference isn't even a league minimum contract.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

I think he would.

He is a top pairing defensemen that on a seven year deal would have his contract expire at the end of his 33/34 year old season.

I don't think there is an overwhelming amount of risk to that contract even if it's a slight overpayment.

I've always been a fan.

My biggest beef with Hanifin is disappointment in his offensive production. He's been over 40 points once in his career and has topped out at 10 goals twice. Those are excellent numbers for most d-men, but I've been expecting him to have a genuine breakout year. At 27 that's probably not going to happen.

 

[Double Dion]

I've always been a fan.

My biggest beef with Hanifin is disappointment in his offensive production. He's been over 40 points once in his career and has topped out at 10 goals twice. Those are excellent numbers for most d-men, but I've been expecting him to have a genuine breakout year. At 27 that's probably not going to happen.

The thing with defensemen is you only had 32 of them scoring 10 goals or more last season. Of those 32, Hanifin is better defensively than all but 3 (Pietrangelo, Skjei, Spurgeon) of them. Scoring 10 goals as a defenseman is not a super common thing. He's 12th in goals this season and 10th in even strength goals.

 

[wintersej]

We're never going to be surprised by a GM overpaying for a free agent, but does anyone think Hanifin gets that (7x$8M) on the open market?

Yes

 

[Iggys Dome]

We're never going to be surprised by a GM overpaying for a free agent, but does anyone think Hanifin gets that (7x$8M) on the open market?

Yes

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

The thing with defensemen is you only had 32 of them scoring 10 goals or more last season. Of those 32, Hanifin is better defensively than all but 3 (Pietrangelo, Skjei, Spurgeon) of them. Scoring 10 goals as a defenseman is not a super common thing. He's 12th in goals this season and 10th in even strength goals.

He's tied for 10th in goals actually. Like I said, most d-men would be thrilled to have his offensive numbers.

Maybe I've always expected too much from him. You guys see him every game.

 

[Double Dion]

He's tied for 10th in goals actually. Like I said, most d-men would be thrilled to have his offensive numbers.

Maybe I've always expected too much from him. You guys see him every game.

He doesn't really walk the line like guys in the Makar, Hughes, Fox category offensively do. He's a better defender than any of those guys. I think the 48 points he got will be his high water mark unless he goes to a high octane offense like Edmonton, Colorado or something like that and gets those Bouchard secondary assists.

 

[JohanFranzenstein]

Is there any smoke as to where he wants to play? Does he want to go home to Boston, a la Debrincat to Detroit?

 

[wintersej]

Is there any smoke as to where he wants to play? Does he want to go home to Boston, a la Debrincat to Detroit?

The thing with Hanifin is, he's been on the market, if I'm not mistaken, for the last two years. But the problem is, everyone knows that he wants to play for the (Boston) Bruins. So, no one's ready to make that move, because that connection with the Bruins is there. It kind of handcuffs everyone, because they all know that at one point he'll sign with (Boston). So it's a tricky situation for him.

Renaud Lavoie said that on Sportsnet radio, but none of the big insiders have said anything. And like PLD only wanted to go to Montreal, right?

So you know, massive piles of salt.

 

[Some Other Flame]

8M? For Hanifin? Good joke.

If that's his ask, then it's the same situation as Lindholm in that they only want to stay if they're going to be grossly overpaid.

Flames can still get fair value in by trading Hanifin as a rental. Hopefully that happens soon.

 

[blankall]

I've always been a fan.

My biggest beef with Hanifin is disappointment in his offensive production. He's been over 40 points once in his career and has topped out at 10 goals twice. Those are excellent numbers for most d-men, but I've been expecting him to have a genuine breakout year. At 27 that's probably not going to happen.

Oh common.

Last 3 seasons:

48 points
38 points (offensive tire fire of a team)
45 point pace this season

He's been very consistent for a while. He's a solid .5ppg guy.

The question becomes is $8 million the new norm for a #2/3 guy? It might be as soon as this off season.

8M? For Hanifin? Good joke.

If that's his ask, then it's the same situation as Lindholm in that they only want to stay if they're going to be grossly overpaid.

Flames can still get fair value in by trading Hanifin as a rental. Hopefully that happens soon.

Lindholm is two years older and forwards fall apart earlier. Way riskier signing Lindholm for 8 years then Hanifin.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Oh common.

Last 3 seasons:

48 points
38 points (offensive tire fire of a team)
45 point pace this season

He's been very consistent for a while. He's a solid .5ppg guy.

The question becomes is $8 million the new norm for a #2/3 guy? It might be as soon as this off season.

Ya, I get all that. I'm a fan of him, but I expected more. Maybe that was unrealistic, but let's remember that Hanifin went 5OA in a draft where McDavid, Eichel, and Marner were picked ahead of him. A lot should be expected of him.

With all this Mittlestadt chatter and the Sabres apparently scouting the Flames on their east coast road trip, it wouldn't surprise me if those two are principals being discussed in trade talks. He'd be an excellent add to our top-4, left shot notwithstanding.