While the Flames are looking very good on the ice, questions continue to circle around the team off of it. As the days draw closer to the NHL Trade Deadlines, the futures of Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev remain. It’s unlikely that they both end this season as Flames, but there is a chance that at least one signs with the team.
This week’s 32 Thoughts the Podcast touches on the future of the two players, with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek going into detail on the two. Let’s break it down.
What’s next for Chris Tanev?
It appears more likely that the Flames will trade Tanev to a contending team, with multiple teams circling around the undrafted blueliner. The question right now is the price. Friedman noted that many teams are unwilling to part with a first-round pick for a rental blueliner like Tanev, but would be interested in it if there was another piece coming back too.
The thing working in the Flames’ favour is that many teams feel that the 2024 NHL Draft class is much weaker after the 20th overall pick than in previous years. A late first-round pick in a weak draft class does not hold as much value as in years past, and as a result, teams that think they can make it past the first round of the playoffs will be giving up less overall.
Also working in the Flames’ favour is the number of teams that want Tanev. While Friedman and Marek noted that the risks of Tanev getting hurt from blocking shots with his face or taking a stick up high are very real possibilities, teams love how he battles through. He has been injured the last two seasons, but rarely missed games in the three previous ones. Given the way that he plays, the Flames may be inclined to move him sooner rather than later.
Multiple teams are looking at Tanev, which should also push the price up. Friedman parked time to chat about the Leafs, who are very interested in him. Not only does GM Brad Treliving know him really well, but the Leafs desperately could add some depth to their blueline. They are one of the teams that do not want to give up a first-rounder for him, but may if there was more coming back their way.
The other challenge with the Leafs is that their prospect cupboards are starting to look bare, and they are running out of draft picks. All of their second-round picks are gone for the next three years, and they only have this year’s and their 2026 first-round picks remaining. They also don’t want to give up any of their top picks right now, as they have grown fond of all three of Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan, and Matthew Knies.
Other teams that may be interested include the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vancouver Canucks, but the latter feels least likely. Tampa just lost Mikhail Sergachev to another injury and will have his cap room to play with for the balance of the season. The challenge is that they only have one first-round pick left and it’s in 2026. Given their aging core, they are also challenged as to when to tear it down, and this may be the season for it.
While this saga has dragged on for a long time, expect that the end is near.
A Noah Hanifin decision is coming soon
While the segment on Hanifin was not as long, the line that came out spoke volumes. On Hanifin, Friedman said, “The longer it goes the more you wonder.” He went on to say that the Flames are expecting an answer by the end of the week, which is either today, tomorrow, or Sunday.
This line confirms a lot of what many Flames fans have felt, that Hanifin is unlikely to sign with the Flames. No matter whether you think the team is a contender or a pretender, moving on from a top blueliner is going to hurt. Hanifin has been very good for the Flames in his tenure with the team, and seeing him on another team won’t be fun to watch.
That being said, the haul that the Flames should get for him, assuming he is moved, should be comparable to what they got for Elias Lindholm. There is likely a first-round pick, at least one prospect, and likely a roster player to balance the cap math in there. In the short term, if the Flames can get a roster player in need of a change of scenery like Andrei Kuzmenko, and future assets, the team will be in a really good position to contend for the next few years.
The Flames have put themselves in the playoff race
While the math doesn’t look as good for the Flames as it does for either the St. Louis Blues or Los Angeles Kings, Friedman gave the Flames a lot of credit for putting themselves back in the playoff picture. The team is rolling right now, and that is always fun to watch.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
