Defenseman Noah Hanifin clarified his stance in contract negotiations with the Calgary Flames.
Hanifin said Wednesday that he's open to inking an extension but will wait for the upcoming season to play out, according to TSN's Salim Nadim Valji. The blue-liner added that he told Flames management in the summer he needed time to process the disappointment of Calgary's concluded campaign.
A report in June indicated Hanifin wasn't expected to sign an extension with the Flames, making a trade likely. But Flames general manager Craig Conroy said Wednesday that Hanifin only expressed that he didn't want to re-sign this summer.
Hanifin is entering the final season of the six-year deal signed with Calgary in 2018. The pact carries a cap hit of $4.95 million and contains a clause allowing him to submit an eight-team no-trade list, according to CapFriendly.
The 26-year-old collected seven goals and 31 assists while ranking second on the club in average ice time at a career-high 22:39 across 81 games last season. Hanifin also authored favorable underlying numbers, including a 54.93% expected goals rate at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Hanifin has played the last five campaigns with the Flames, who acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Hurricanes at the draft in 2018. He spent his first three seasons with the Canes, who selected him fifth overall in 2015.
The Boston-born rearguard is one of many pending unrestricted free agents on the Flames' roster. That list includes forwards Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund and six of Calgary's eight NHL defensemen.
The Flames missed the playoffs last season after winning the Pacific Division title and advancing to the second round in 2021-22.
