The Calgary Flames continue to be the most talked about team as the trade deadline approaches. While they moved out Chris Tanev last week, they aren’t done yet, as Noah Hanifin is also expected to be traded.
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Hanifin, a pending unrestricted free agent, is having a solid season with the Flames, averaging almost 24 minutes a night, and is up to 11 goals and 35 points in 60 games. He is the best defenceman who remains on the market, and several teams are reportedly interested. Three of the top teams are the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils. After talking to some writers for those teams, here are my trade proposals.
Florida Panthers
Panthers receive: Noah Hanifin
Flames receive: 2026 first-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, Anton Lundell
The Flames have been adamant about not rebuilding and are instead going for a retool on the fly. They have emphasized trying to acquire young players who are NHL-ready, which makes Anton Lundell of great interest to them.
Lundell, 22, is in his third NHL season. The 12th overall selection from the 2020 NHL Draft has 38 goals and 103 points in 195 career games. Best of all, he is a centreman, which is what the Flames need if they hope to have future success. The Panthers don’t have a first-round pick in 2024 or 2025, hence the 2026 first coming in return, and a third-round pick this year as extra compensation.
Boston Bruins
Bruins receive: Noah Hanifin (40% retained)
Flames receive: 2025 first-round pick, 2025 third-round pick, Matthew Poitras, Derek Forbort
This trade fills the same need for the Flames, as Matthew Poitras is a young, talented centreman who would be a huge addition. The 19-year-old has played in 33 NHL games this season, with five goals and 10 points. His offensive potential is apparent, but he is arguably better defensively.
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To make the trade work from a cap perspective, Derek Forbort has been included. The 31-year-old was acquired by the Flames at the 2020 Trade Deadline and has four assists in 35 games this season. He is also on an expiring contract with a $3 million cap hit. The first-round pick is the deserved value for Hanifin, while a third has been added for the Flames to retain salary and take on Forbort’s deal.
New Jersey Devils
Devils receive: Noah Hanifin
Flames receive: 2024 first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, Alexander Holtz
The Flames and Devils are familiar with each other, having completed a trade this past offseason that saw Yegor Sharangovich and Tyler Toffoli swap sides. The organizations have had plenty of dialogue as of late as well, as they attempted to get a Jacob Markstrom trade completed weeks ago.
The only player that was of interest to the Flames when the Markstrom trade rumours surfaced was Alexander Holtz. The 22-year-old winger, who went seventh overall in 2020, has 13 goals and 24 points through 61 games this season. He has the skill set to become a top-six forward in the NHL, though he isn’t as big of a get as Lundell or Poitras would be. For that reason, the Devils would be forced to not only part ways with their first-round pick in 2024 but their second in 2025 as well.
Time is Ticking for Flames
The trade deadline is March 8 at 1:00 pm MT, meaning the Flames don’t have a lot of time left to get a deal done. There is some concern that the market may not be what general manager (GM) Craig Conroy had in mind as each day passes. While all three trades proposed above would be solid work from the Flames’ GM, fans may have to brace themselves for the return not being as big as initially expected.