Friedman: Calgary Flames and Noah Hanifin ‘have made progress’ towards contract extension
By Ryan Pike
9 months agoWhen the 2023 off-season began, the Calgary Flames had seven prominent players slated to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2023-24 season. That list has been whittled down a bit by the Tyler Toffoli trade and Mikael Backlund’s re-signing and, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Saturday’s edition of Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada, the list may be getting shorter.
Per Friedman, progress has been made between the Flames and defender Noah Hanifin on a contract extension.
Here’s Friedman, transitioning from a mention of Rasmus Andersson’s suspension:
“Well, the news is a little bit better when it comes to another Flames defenceman. The word is that the Flames and Noah Hanifin have made progress on a contract extension. Hanifin is an unrestricted free agent to be at the end of this year. There is optimism. Nothing is done until it’s done, I always try to remind people of that, but like I said, the word is that there has been progress and there is optimism that something can get done between Hanifin and the Flames.”
Drafted fifth overall by Carolina back in 2015, Hanifin was traded to the Flames at the 2018 NHL Draft and has been a crucial all-situations blueliner ever since. He recently played his 600th NHL game. In 364 games with the Flames, Hanifin has 31 goals and 160 points. He has four points in five games to begin the 2023-24 season.
The 26-year-old left-shot defender is in the final year of a six-year deal with a $4.95 million cap hit.
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