The Vegas Golden Knights are going all in on their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions, swinging a trade for defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames in advance of the NHL trade deadline. In exchange for Hanifin, Vegas will be sending over defenseman Daniil Miromanov, and first and conditional third round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. If Vegas emerges from the first round of the 2024 NHL playoffs victorious, the third round-pick will be upgraded to a second-round pick. Calgary will retain half of Hanifin’s $4.95 million cap hit, and the Philadelphia Flyers also received a 2024 fifth-round pick from Vegas for further salary retention on his contract.
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Vegas began to shuffle the deck a day prior, sending the Washington Capitals a second-round pick in 2024 and a fourth rounder in 2026 for forward Anthony Mantha. The Golden Knights felt the need to shake things up, as losing eight of their last ten games has sent them plummeting down the Pacific Division standings. Previously atop the division and conference standings, Vegas now finds themselves in the top wildcard spot, getting leapfrogged by the Los Angeles Kings. Hanifin is expected to join the top defensive line with Alex Pietrangelo, while Mantha will slot in as a second line winger.
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Hanifin is the third lineup regular that the Flames have shipped off in their “fire sale”, joining defenseman Chris Tanev, Hanafin’s former defense partner, and top center Elias Lindholm, who joined the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks respectively. Calgary has emerged from the trades with copious draft capital, which includes two coveted first rounders in the upcoming draft, as well as three defense prospects. The Flames also acquired a new top line left winger in Andrei Kuzmenko, who still has a year left on his current contract before hitting unrestricted free agency. Miromanov will join the Flames defense, and was promptly re-signed to a two-year, $2.5 million deal that kicks in next season.
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