One week after being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, Noah Hanifin will return to Calgary on Thursday. A frosty reception from Flames followers may await the defenceman, who had determined to not re-sign with the group after six seasons.
“I used to be by no means holding the Flames hostage,” Hanifin not too long ago informed Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, responding to reviews that surfaced within the lead-up to the commerce deadline. “It was positioned virtually like I used to be doing it to spite Calgary, to harm them. That was by no means the case.”
By buying Hanifin (and Tomas Hertl) out of nowhere, the Golden Knights bolstered their repute because the NHL’s most daring dealmaker. Hanifin has settled behind workhorses Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo by way of three video games, averaging 21:37 of ice time. That’s down from 23:46 per recreation with the Flames. (Hanifin figures to have a decreased function on the ability play in Vegas, the place Theodore is entrenched because the quarterback of the highest unit.)
Hanifin was energetic offensively Thursday in opposition to the Seattle Kraken, placing a team-high 5 pictures on internet on 11 makes an attempt.
At 5-on-5, Hanifin has taken the injured Alec Martinez’s place on the highest pair subsequent to Pietrangelo. The early returns are promising; Vegas has generated 62.2 per cent of anticipated targets in 45:26 with Hanifin and Pietrangelo on the ice. The Golden Knights have outscored their opponents 4-3 in these minutes. (By comparability, Vegas has generated 45.4 per cent of 5-on-5 anticipated targets throughout Martinez and Pietrangelo’s shared ice time.)
Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy identified that his group runs an identical zone defence to the Flames underneath coach Ryan Huska, which has made Hanifin’s transition simpler.
“That’s a giant plus,” Cassidy informed reporters. “(Former Flames coach) Darryl (Sutter) was rather more man-to-man. … That’s rather less instructing for myself and (assistant coach John Stevens) in that half.”
When wholesome, the Golden Knights have arguably the deepest defence amongst potential playoff groups. A high 4 of Hanifin, Pietrangelo, Theodore and Brayden McNabb would current matchup issues for opponents. That additionally would permit the 36-year-old Martinez, a gradual hand for therefore a few years, to tackle simpler minutes.
The following chapter of Hanifin’s profession is off to a strong begin.
“The transition’s been actually clean and feeling much more comfy right here,” Hanifin informed the Golden Knights’ radio broadcast. “On the ice, off the ice, all the things’s beginning to click on a bit of bit extra now.”
All stats through Sportlogiq
