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Florida Panthers Showing Interest In Noah Hanifin

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For the past few weeks, it’s seemed a matter of when, not if, the Calgary Flames would trade defenseman Noah Hanifin. The left-shot blueliner made it known earlier this month he wasn’t particularly interested in signing an extension, and he’ll likely join Tyler Toffoli as players slated for unrestricted free agency in 2024 finding their way out of the organization a year early.

It’s also been clear that the Florida Panthers are seeking another puck-moving defenseman for their top four, mainly to help buoy the group, while Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour are sidelined with injuries to start the season. They’ve inquired with Calgary about Hanifin to fill that gap, says Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, confirming some speculation earlier in the week about a potential fit.

Hanifin to Florida is far from a sure thing, though, as LeBrun notes trade interest is high in the 26-year-old, who has one season remaining at a $4.95MM cap hit. As LeBrun notes, a potential trade could see winger Anthony Duclair heading the other way, who the Panthers have been shopping to clear some additional cap space. It would still be a tight salary cap dance for the Panthers, depending on what other moves they make in free agency, and they don’t have many other assets on the block the Flames would be particularly interested in. The potential is high here for Florida to get outbid.

If he does end up in the Sunshine State, though, Hanifin would be an immeasurable upgrade in the team’s top four on pending UFA Marc Staal, who’s posted middling advanced numbers despite an increased role alongside Montour. The 26-year-old has averaged over 20 minutes per game in each of the past five seasons, and he’s totaled 86 points and a +29 rating in 162 games since 2021-22.

Duclair would also be a solid addition to a deep Flames top nine, although it’s poised to potentially lose some talent by way of Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund. For now, he’d replace the top-six spot vacated by Toffoli after dealing him to New Jersey yesterday. Duclair notched 20 points in 40 combined regular-season and playoff games in 2022-23 after recovering from a severe Achilles tear sustained during off-season training.

Calgary Flames Sign Yegor Sharangovich

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After arriving in a trade yesterday, Yegor Sharangovich has quickly agreed to a new two-year contract with the Calgary Flames. The contract will extend through 2024-25 and carries an average annual value of $3.1MM.

Sharangovich, 25, was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. With this new deal in place, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025.

The young forward saw his numbers drop significantly this season, scoring just 13 goals and 30 points in 75 games after a breakout 24-goal campaign in 2021-22. That was due to several factors, perhaps most importantly Timo Meier essentially taking his job down the stretch.

With the New Jersey Devils ready to commit long-term to Meier, Sharangovich was a player without a spot, meaning this swap to Calgary should benefit him. He’ll likely get a chance to play big minutes, and head into UFA status with significant offensive numbers.

That’s what both sides are hoping for and what this cap number represents. The Flames can’t be giving out $3.1MM deals to just anyone, given how tight they are to the ceiling. They now project to be slightly over the cap for the start of the season, though there is still plenty of time to work that out.

The guard is changing in Calgary, with rumors swirling about several high-profile players. Sharangovich will likely not be the last newcomer this summer, as new GM Craig Conroy puts his stamp on the roster.

New Jersey Devils Acquire Tyler Toffoli

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The New Jersey Devils have acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames, with the signing rights to RFA Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick (80th overall) headed to Alberta in return.

This move comes just after Toffoli made it clear to the Flames that he would not be signing a contract extension to remain in Calgary. The 31-year-old two-time Stanley Cup champion is playing out a $4.25MM AAV contract that will expire at the end of next season. By acquiring Toffoli, the Devils add the Flames’ leading scorer and a player who has crossed the 20-goal plateau seven times.

While the Flames as a team had an extremely disappointing season, Toffoli had one of the finest years of his career in 2022-23. Not only did he score 34 goals and 73 points, each career-high marks, he also captained Team Canada to victory at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships.

The acquisition of Toffoli signals a shift in focus for New Jersey that was all but confirmed when the team reached the playoffs and eliminated their arch-rival New York Rangers in the first round.

The long rebuild is over for the Devils, and the focus for GM Tom Fitzgerald is no longer on building for the future, it’s about assembling a Stanley Cup contender ready as soon as next season.

In adding Toffoli, the Devils’ hopes of going on a long playoff run have certainly increased. Toffoli’s been on quite a few of those, and he has triple the career playoff points of Tomas Tatar, the player he’s most directly replacing in New Jersey’s forward lineup. He may not be a long-term acquisition at 31 years old, but he’s an exceptional finisher and is easily improves the team’s group of forwards.

Seeing as Ondrej Palat, Dawson Mercer, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier are likely at this point in time to occupy the spots on the wing next to New Jersey’s two franchise centers, Toffoli could end up in a third-line role for the Devils. That would give the Devils an embarrassment of riches up front, potentially giving them three forward lines capable of creating offense at an impressive rate. At the very least, Toffoli’s addition gives head coach Lindy Ruff another talented scoring forward to plug into his lineup.

Sharangovich was unlikely to have a long-term future in New Jersey, given the whole host of young players that still need to sign contract extensions. Players such as Meier and in the future, Luke Hughes are likely to eat up quite a bit of the Devils’ future cap space, so with RFA negotiations set to take place this summer, it seems other players supplanted Sharangovich in New Jersey’s long-term plans.

For Calgary, losing Toffoli is undoubtedly disappointing but they do have an interesting player headed their way in Sharangovich. As he turned 25 earlier this month, he fits new GM Craig Conroy’s goal of getting younger and faster this offseason. He got a little lost in a crowded Devils forward group last year and scored a career-low 13 goals and 30 points, but in the prior two years when he had a larger role he scored at a 25-goal, 48-point pace.

If Sharangovich gets a chance to play with forward Jonathan Huberdeau, for example, he could take an even larger step forward offensively. He’s also decently versatile, with experience playing all three forward positions. Seeing as Toffoli is a widely respected player with an affordable cap hit, the Flames likely had no shortage of offers for his services.

Their acquisition of Sharangovich suggests they feel he can become an even greater player under their new head coach Ryan Huska. While it undoubtedly hurts to lose Toffoli, Sharangovich could be a player who lifts Flames fans out of their seats for years to come.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Hanifin Wants To Go To US-Based Team

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While Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin hasn’t given the team a list of teams he’d be willing to sign an extension with to help facilitate a trade, he has given them one clue at least.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the blueliner has made it known that he would like to return to the United States.  Hanifin is set to enter the final year of his contract with a $4.95MM AAV that is well below market value.  As a result, there should be strong interest in the 26-year-old who, on top of logging over 20 minutes a night, has recorded 86 points over the last two seasons.  With the draft getting underway on Wednesday, Hanifin’s name is likely to come up in further trade speculation over the coming days.

Flames Shopping Dan Vladar

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In recent days, there have been several reports that key veterans are looking to leave the Flames.  But those players might not be the only ones on the move as Pierre LeBrun, Michael Russo, and Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic report (subscription link) that Calgary is shopping goaltender Dan Vladar around the league.

The 25-year-old is coming off his second season as being the backup to Jacob Markstrom.  His numbers dipped a bit this season as Calgary struggled, posting a 2.87 GAA with a .894 SV%, 12 points lower than his mark from 2021-22.  That said, the drop-off in performance isn’t shocking with the Flames going from winning the Pacific Division a year ago to missing the playoffs this past season.

Vladar will be entering the first season of a two-year contract that he signed back in October, one that carries an AAV of $2.2MM.  As far as backup goaltenders go, that’s still on the lower scale.  However, with the Flames having Dustin Wolf in their system with a cap hit that’s less than $50K above the league minimum, making that goalie swap would free up some much-needed cap space; Calgary currently sits with just $1.25MM in room per CapFriendly with multiple roster spots to fill.

However, with Vladar’s contract being on the lower end for a second-stringer, it’s one that should carry some value around the league.  LeBrun, Russo, and Duhatschek note that the Flames expect to at least get a second-round pick for the netminder which would be an improvement on the third-rounder they parted with to get him back in 2021.

The free agent market for goaltenders is relatively thin this summer which has resulted in some speculation surrounding netminders on the trade front.  It appears that Vladar is now a part of that list, joining veterans Connor Hellebuyck, John Gibson, and Chris Driedger who have all come up in trade speculation in recent weeks.  If a team is looking to get a jump start on shoring up their backup situation, there’s a good chance they’ll be calling up new GM Craig Conroy in the near future if they haven’t done so already.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Calgary Flames Hire Marc Savard, Dan Lambert

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1:09 pm: The Flames have announced Savard and Lambert’s hiring as assistant coaches, also confirming that LaBarbera and MacLean are returning to the team in 2023-24.

10:54 am: While news about the Calgary Flames in the past 24 hours has surrounded people wanting out of the organization, at least one person wants in. The team is hiring Marc Savard as an assistant coach, per Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek (and Savard himself).

According to The Hockey News’ Tony Ferrari, Savard is expected to work with the team’s power play and offensive strategy.

Savard’s hire continues to bring the band of early 2000s Flames players back together, joining one-time teammates Craig Conroy and Jarome Iginla in coaching and managerial roles. After coming over in a June 1999 trade from the New York Rangers, Savard registered 6o goals, 94 assists, and 154 points in 221 games as a Flame around the turn of the century before later stints with the Atlanta Thrashers and Boston Bruins.

The move will likely complete Calgary’s bench next season, led by new head coach Ryan Huska. Per Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg, their goalie coach position is probably solidified with Jason LaBarbera not being affected by the team’s other coaching changes.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman says only one of the team’s three other assistants from last season under head coach Darryl Sutter is returning – Cail MacLean. Savard and former Nashville Predators assistant Dan Lambert are expected to fill the spots vacated by Huska’s promotion and the departure of associate coach Kirk Muller.

Savard’s return to the game in a coaching role has been one of the better feel-good stories of the past few years. The Boston Bruins signed him to a seven-year, $28.15MM extension set to begin in the 2010-11 season, during which he only played 25 games. He spent the final six seasons of the contract on long-term injured reserve due to severe post-concussion complications.

Nearly a decade later, Savard joined the St. Louis Blues’ bench in 2019-20, helping them to a second-place finish in the regular season while boasting the third-best power play in the league. He didn’t return for the 2020-21 campaign but then took over as the head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires for the following two seasons, during which the team posted a combined record of 88-35-13 and reached the OHL final in 2021-22.

Latest On Tyler Toffoli

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Earlier today, we covered reports out of Calgary stating that several important Calgary Flames players, namely Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Mikael Backlund, were not planning to sign contract extensions to remain with the team beyond next season. Now, another name can be added to the list of likely-to-depart players: Tyler Toffoli.

DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Toffoli “plans on not re-signing in Calgary,” and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds “Calgary has made [Toffoli] available for trade.”

It’s another significant blow to the Flames’ hopes of Stanley Cup contention in the near future as the Flames are now readying for the possibility of trading their leading scorer from last season. Toffoli, 31, had a stellar 2022-23, setting a career-high of 34 goals and 73 points.

While he missed the postseason, the two-time Stanley Cup champion captained Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, with his third-period snipe on German netminder Mattias Niederberger effectively clinching the trophy for his country.

But while Toffoli seems to still be in the prime of his career and on a team that won a playoff series just a year ago, these reports indicate that he’s likely to continue his career elsewhere. He’s set to cost $4.25MM against the cap for one more season before hitting unrestricted free agency, and given his exceptional form last season he’d likely be a coveted player on the trade market.

There happens to be a useful comparable to project a potential Toffoli trade this summer: the 2021 deal that sent Toffoli to Calgary. He was coming off of a season where he scored at a 44-goal 69-point pace with the Montreal Canadiens and net his team a first-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and a solid prospect in Emil Heineman.

While Toffoli only has one year of team control left on his contract compared to the two-and-a-half years left on his deal at the time of the last trade, his increased offensive production is likely what will keep his trade value high.

One would imagine Calgary would be looking for a first-round pick as a starting point for any Toffoli trade, though with players such as Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, and MacKenzie Weegar already signed to long-term deals, it’s also feasible GM Craig Conroy might try to target NHL-ready players in return for Toffoli rather than draft compensation.

In any case, this news adds yet another challenge for Conroy to navigate in his first offseason as Brad Treliving’s successor in Calgary. It definitely isn’t an ideal situation for the franchise to be in, but thanks to Toffoli’s exceptional 2022-23 season the team could very well view trading the player as a valuable opportunity to improve the franchise’s long-term outlook rather than a difficult setback.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On The Calgary Flames

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2023 is quickly shaping up to be one of the most monumental summers on the trade market in a while, especially for the Calgary Flames. The team has a star class of players destined for unrestricted free agency in 2024, and uncertainty looms over many of their potential extensions.

They did have some clarity on the plans of defenseman Noah Hanifin, who’s not expected to re-sign and is likely destined for a trade at some point before next year’s deadline. Today, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli comes bearing concerning news: Elias Lindholm did not accept a high-paying, long-term extension, and the Flames remain in the dark on what his future plans are, although he notes general league speculation is leaning toward Lindholm not extending.

Not only that, but Seravalli also believes potential captaincy candidate Mikael Backlund is also leaning toward not re-signing in Calgary, although the situation is fluid.

Lindholm is solidly the team’s number-one center and was a linchpin of their success in 2021-22, helping guide them to a Pacific Division title with a career year. He maintained some strong all-around play this year despite losing both his linemates from that season, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, but his offense dipped to 22 goals and 64 points in 80 games after a 40-goal campaign the year before. He’s still a bona fide top-six center in his prime – someone that Calgary would love to have down the middle for the next few seasons without much center help on the way. He’s entering the final season of a bargain bin deal that pays him $4.85MM per season.

The news around Backlund is certainly the more surprising item here. Drafted in 2007, the 34-year-old is a true Flames lifer and has played in over 900 games in a Calgary jersey. He managed a career year offensively last season with 56 points in 82 games, and he remains one of the best shutdown centers in the game.

If he does end up on the move and opts not to re-sign with Calgary, Backlund has a modified no-trade clause that permits him to name 10 teams he’ll accept a trade to. He’s in the final season of a contract paying him $5.35MM per year.

While it’s not the direction the franchise envisioned after locking up Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri last season, they’re under new management with Craig Conroy at the helm of the front office. He’s got a unique opportunity here to jumpstart a rebuild in a massive way, as he should be able to garner multiple first-round picks and high-end prospects if Backlund, Hanifin, and Lindholm all end up on the trade market.

One thing’s for sure – the only any of these players could avoid a trade is by signing an extension. After losing Gaudreau for nothing to the open market last season, Calgary won’t be willing to take that same risk with any of their 2024 unrestricted free agents.

Washington Capitals Expected To Hire Mitch Love

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The Washington Capitals are set to add back-to-back AHL Coach of the Year Mitch Love to their coaching staff as an assistant, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports.

It’s the first notable coaching move made by the Caps since naming Spencer Carbery their next head coach last month. The team parted ways with Peter Laviolette (now with the New York Rangers) immediately after the season’s end in April, but it’s unclear which assistants from last year they have or have not retained.

Love joins Washington after two seasons behind the bench of Calgary’s AHL affiliate (the Stockton Heat in 2021-22 and the Calgary Wranglers in 2022-23), guiding the team to two first-place finishes in the Pacific Division. His departure from the Flames organization is far from surprising – he was a top candidate for the team’s head coaching role, but he was passed over for former Heat head coach and Flames assistant Ryan Huska.

With Washington needing to retool on the fly to stay competitive during the end of Alex Ovechkin’s career, their coaching moves support a progressive philosophy and make it clear their organizational focus is getting what they can out of their young players, especially without a particularly high-end prospect pool. Love has certainly done that in the minors, helping a strong handful of Flames prospects find the right development track.

Snapshots: Lyon, Love, Hockeyville

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Sergei Bobrovsky’s magical run for the Florida Panthers throughout most of the playoffs erased a lot of memories of the netminder who got them there in the first place. 30-year-old Alex Lyon, who started the season as the team’s third-string netminder, recorded a 6-2-1 record and .930 save percentage while playing in nine of the team’s final 12 games of the regular season, helping them snag a playoff spot after sitting on the outside looking in for much of the season.

Yesterday, Lyon’s agent, Pete Rutili of Wasserman Hockey, told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic that his client’s preference is to stay in the Sunshine State, but there have been no talks between the Panthers and their pending unrestricted free agent. Florida expects youngster Spencer Knight back in the fold next season after taking time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, so Lyon wouldn’t have a likely NHL role if he returns. After seven seasons and more than 200 games of AHL action, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Lyon went elsewhere to find an easier path to more NHL action in 2023-24.

More from the NHL news cycle today:

  • The head coach of the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, Mitch Love, hasn’t completely cut ties with the Flames after being passed over for their head coaching vacancy in favor of his predecessor in the minors, Ryan Huska. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that while Love is still looking elsewhere for jobs on an NHL bench, he’s had discussions with the Flames about joining Huska’s staff as an assistant. Love has won AHL Coach of the Year honors in both of his two campaigns behind the Wranglers (formerly Stockton Heat) bench and guided them to a Pacific Division Final loss against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, who are now just one win away from the Calder Cup.
  • Next year’s Canadian Kraft Hockeyville preseason matchups will honor both the 2022 and 2023 winners of the award, seeing the NHL head to West Lorne, Ontario, on September 27 and Sydney, Nova Scotia, on October 1. Atlantic Division teams will comprise both matchups, with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs facing off in West Lorne before the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators play in the Sydney showcase.

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