Calgary Flames Rumours: Two Teams Emerging As Favourites For Noah Hanifin

The Calgary Flames are facing a mass exodus right now, with no less than four players looking to leave the team ahead of free agent status in 2024, and at this moment in time, it appears defenceman Noah Hanifin is going to be the first one out the door, with many suitors lined up for him. The 26-year old is coming off the back of his best two career seasons (48 and 36 points), and now, with free agency approaching, he’s made it clear that he not only wants to move on from Calgary, but would prefer a return to the United States.

Now, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun has posited that there are currently two main suitors for his services, that being the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers, who could offer the Flames very different packages in return, and depending on which one they take, it could signal just how this organization is going to proceed.

On the Panthers side, they already gave Calgary a huge haul last season in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk, with Cole Schwindt and a first-round pick being future pieces in the deal, and now, if a deal is to be made, it is rumoured to involve former Jonathan Huberdeau line-mate Anthony Duclair.

On the other hand, Buffalo could offer Calgary a tantalizing package of future pieces, with a first-round pick this year along with top prospect Peyton Krebs, and while that may mean the Flames give away more than just Hanifin, it could be worth it if they are to truly embrace the future. Right now, this should be the much more appealing route for Calgary, but with a team that’s really never embraced a rebuild, this is unlikely, so it will be something to keep an eye on with these trades as to how the franchise see themselves progressing.

So what do you think Flames fans? Should Calgary embrace a rebuild and look for a top prospect like Krebs? Should they look to land Duclair to get Huby back to elite status? Should they look to another team in a deal with Hanifin? As always, let us know in the comments.