Once again, the Vegas Golden Knights are leading the NHL Trade Deadline.
One day after adding Anthony Mantha to their forward corps, the Golden Knights rounded off a hectic Wednesday of trade activity across the league by acquiring the best defenseman on the market. Noah Hanifin was acquired from the Calgary Flames by general manager Kelly McCrimmon in exchange for a conditional 2025 first-round pick, a conditional 2025 third-round pick, and defenseman Daniil Miromanov, as well as a 2024 fifth-round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers to absorb 25% of Hanifin’s contract.
Let’s look at this huge move and what it means for a blue line that has progressed from very excellent to maybe elite.
Golden Knights get a bang for their buck.
The early reaction to the Hanifin deal has been overwhelmingly positive for the Golden Knights, and with good reason. Despite the limitations of a cap crunch and a low prospect pool, McCrimmon and the general office were able to obtain a top-pair defenseman without damaging their future draft resources or already-dwindling prospect pool.
The first-round selection will likely be a late pick, featuring conditions that still enable the club to maintain a high level of flexibility (more on that later). The conditional third-rounder becomes a second in the rather likely event that Vegas advances past the first round this year, while the first can become a 2026 pick if the club strikes another deal for their 2025 first-round draft choice before the deadline. Miromanov, meanwhile, has shown flashes of potential but is already 26, still hasn’t secured full-time NHL status, and lost much of this season to an undisclosed injury.
There are assets there, to be sure, but nothing that wasn’t worth parting with in order to add Hanifin. While the 27-year-old doesn’t excel in one particular area, he can do just about
Everything went well. He improves the Golden Knights’ back end in terms of puck-handling and quickness, while also adding another layer of size and physicality to an already strong blue line. Offensively, he currently leads all Vegas defenders with 11 goals and 35 points this season.
Hanifin’s Fitness and Future
While it’s always a good idea to add skill, especially at a cheap price, the Golden Knights’ need for the move is questionable. With Hanifin expected to be paired with Alex Pietrangelo, with Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore filling out the top four (at least until Alec Martinez returns from injury), the Vegas defense is almost unbelievably
deep. Zach Whitecloud, Nicolas Hague, and Ben Hutton, all accomplished defenders in their own right, may struggle to get enough minutes.
That’s a good problem to have for the club’s title defense and playoff push, but it becomes more difficult when it comes to re-signing Hanifin and keeping the core of the squad intact after this season. Even with a rising cap, locking up the former Flame would almost certainly increase the trade cost above the aforementioned return assets. Martinez, who is also an unrestricted free agent, would almost certainly leave. There would also be less money to devote to a forward group in need of new contracts, including Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, William Carrier, Michael Amadio, and Mantha.
Of course, winning another Stanley Cup would alleviate most of the stress associated with any difficult off-season decisions that lie ahead, which is why Hanifin is here.
You might also like: Is Vegas Done?
It’s hard to believe we’re still saying this, but the Golden Knights might not be done trading just yet. With Mantha and Hanifin on board, no one would blame the team’s brass for congratulating themselves and dismissing their trade deadline effort as a foregone conclusion.
However, McCrimmon’s work on these transactions and the exploitation of LTIR has left opportunity for further. Despite surrendering a future first to Calgary, the team has kept ownership of their 2024 and 2025 first-round picks. Financially, the retained salaries of Mantha and Hanifin will count for approximately $4 million against the Vegas cap, leaving around $3 million to be used. Just putting it out there: if the Pittsburgh Penguins were prepared to keep half of Jake Guentzel’s contract, the Golden Knights would be on the hook for $3 million.
While the rest of the league is looking to add depth defensemen and supporting players, McCrimmon and the Golden Knights have decided to go ahead and sign the best blue liner on the market. We may not know the actual cost of obtaining Hanifin for some time, but it may be irrelevant if he helps them win back-to-back championships.
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