Rumour Report: Flames want a second-round pick for Chris Tanev, will Noah Hanifin re-sign, and more!
2 months ago
Elias Lindholm may have been traded recently, but that doesn’t mean the rumour mill has stopped.
This is Rumour Report, where we look at rumours related to the Calgary Flames and their players. Let’s dig in.
Notes from Friday’s 32 Thoughts Podcast
On Friday afternoon, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman released the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast which featured a lot of talk about the Flames. You can listen to this podcast here.
For starters, Friedman noted that the Boston Bruins were the team that wanted to have contract discussions with Lindholm before trading for him. He also thinks that the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Winnipeg Jets were interested in Lindholm. The latter makes sense, as they traded for former Flame Sean Monahan a day later.
Also according to Friedman, the Flames and Lindholm were about a million off in extension talks. It’s assumed that Lindholm would want around $9 million, which is a hard bargain for the season he was having with the Flames.
As for the young prospect in the Lindholm trade, Friedman and Marek see Hunter Brzustewicz as a potential X-factor in the trade. This season, the defenceman has eight goals and 69 points in 48 games for the Kitchener Rangers. Not only does he lead all defenceman in points in the Ontario Hockey League, but he’s also tied for third in points for the entire league.
Another soon-to-be free agent is Noah Hanifin. The 26-year-old has a cap hit of $4.95 million until the end of the season with an eight-team no-trade list, according to Puckpedia. Friedman notes that the Flames want an answer on whether or not he’ll re-sign with the team, because if not, they’ll need to move him before the Mar. 8 deadline.
Friedman also believes Chris Tanev, another soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, wasn’t close to being added to the Lindholm deal. However, it’s likely that the Vancouver Canucks were asking for him, as many teams have asked for at least two of the Flames’ pending UFAs.
The Athletic article
On Thursday, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic released an article about the fallout from the Lindholm trade.
In this article, he noted that he doesn’t see the Flames beginning a full rebuild – rather an on the fly re-tool. LeBrun notes that since Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri have recently signed long deals, their hands are pretty much tied.
The other interesting note that wasn’t covered in the 32 Thoughts Podcast (Lindholm having five or so suitors, Flames wanting to re-sign Hanifin) is that the Flames are looking for a second-round pick and another asset – likely an NHL ready prospect – for Chris Tanev.
If a team offers the Flames a first-round pick right now, LeBrun believes that the Flames would accept that trade. Of course, that pick would likely come between 20th to 32nd, but a late second-round pick doesn’t seem all too enticing.
If Ben Chiarot can net the Montréal Canadiens a first-round pick, Tanev can get the Flames a first-rounder as well. He’s the type of defencemen teams would love in a long playoff run.
Tanev may be traded soon
On Thursday’s episode of Donnie and Dhali, Pat Steinberg noted that he wouldn’t be shocked if Tanev was moved before the conclusion of the All-Star break. At the end of the day, the Flames can’t capitalize on his trade value if he’s injured.
Granted, the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent has played in all but three of the Flames’ games this season. Since the beginning of his Flames tenure, Tanev has missed just 20 games of the 269 games the Flames have played, or 7.4% of games.
Steinberg also echoed the sentiment that the Toronto Maple Leafs have interest in Tanev, but have no second-round picks for the next three years. They should just give the Flames their first-rounder this season.
The Coyotes may move if they can’t get a deal for a new building done
Find yourself someone who loves the Arizona Coyotes as much as the National Hockey League does.
Amid reports that a group from Salt Lake City wishes to bring the NHL’s 33rd team to Utah, we have the Coyotes “Coyote-ing”. For the past two seasons, the Coyotes have been playing at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona. Mullett Arena seats 5,000 people and the Coyotes aren’t even the main tenant, as Arizona State University uses it for hockey, wrestling, and other sports.
On Friday, ESPN released an interview with NHLPA’s executive director Marty Walsh. In that article, Walsh said the franchise hasn’t worked with the players’ union since Walsh took over. Moreover, Walsh believes that a relocated Coyotes in Utah could be a success similar to Vegas and Seattle.
Interestingly, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that he’s spoken to representatives from Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Cincinnati. Can we just get a team back to Quebec City?
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.
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