Things are heating up ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
The Flames are trading Noah Hanifin to the Golden Knights in a deal that was broken live on NHL on TNT’s pregame show on Wednesday night by insider Elliotte Friedman.
The Golden Knights confirmed the deal hours later, with a first-round pick, defenseman Daniil Miromanov, and a conditional third-round pick going to Calgary in return.
The Flyers were also part of the deal getting a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft from Vegas.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the conditional pick upgrades to a second-rounder if the Golden Knights win a playoff round.
Miromanov signed a two-year extension following the trade that will carry an AAV of $1.25 million, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.
Hanifin, 27, is a free agent after this season when the six-year contract he signed in 2018 expires.
The defenseman, considered one of the top players available at this year’s deadline, has 11 goals and 35 points in 61 games for Calgary this season.
Hanifin had been linked to several teams, including the Lightning, who are set to face the Flames on Thursday night in Tampa.
The 27-year-old had also been linked to the Panthers and Bruins in recent days, and his preference was to get traded to a team he’d want to sign a long-term contract with, according to a report on “Hockey Night in Canada” over the weekend.
Tampa Bay had reportedly been his top choice.
The move by Vegas is their second trade in the days leading up to the deadline after acquiring forward Anthony Mantha from the Capitals on Tuesday.
The Golden Knights have had a series of injuries on the blue line this season and placed defenseman Alec Martinez on injured reserve with a lower-body injury on Wednesday.