Flames Rumors: 2 Potential Trade Destinations For Noah Hanifin

The Calgary Flames are in shambles after starting the season 2-6-1. They haven't shown positives that come with getting a new coach, especially after all of the talk about how they would perform after Darryl Sutter was gone.

It was reported that the Flames had cut off contract talks with their players, which includes Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm. The Flames were nearing an extension with Hanifin, but the belief is that if the team can't get the job done with this group, they can't continue to run it back with the same players. If things continue the way they're going, the Flames are going to be trading Hanifin before the deadline. Here are two teams that would be at the top of the list.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are actively searching for players to bolster their lineup according to Rick Dhaliwal. The defense is the area where they need to address, and it seems like Hanifin could be a short-term solution this season if the Canucks want to have a real shot at staying competitive all season long, or a long-term solution as well. He would fit in nicely on the second pairing behind Quinn Hughes and give that pairing a lot more to work with. Right now the Canucks have Mark Friedman filling in and that's not good enough when games start to ramp up the intensity.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers have a very questionable defense group at the moment while Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad are out with season-opening injuries. They are managing as well as can be expected, but are also giving up over three goals per game. The Panthers have aspirations of going back to the Stanley Cup Final, and to do that, they will have to bolster their lineup. Even with Montour and Ekblad back in the lineup, Hanifin could fit in well on the second pairing with one of them and push Oliver Ekman-Larsson down to the third pairing. This would give the goaltenders the necessary support to have an impact in the playoffs again.