Flames Rumors: Noah Hanifin's Camp To Present Final Position To Flames

The on-again, off-again dance that the Calgary Flames have been doing with pending unrestricted free agent Noah Hanifin all season appears to be set to come to a head.

At the beginning of the season, it looked like Hanifin would re-sign a long-term extension with Calgary, then things took a turn for the worse around the team and talks broke off, leading to trade speculation once again. Then more recently, we heard that contract talks could be back on. Phew. That's one rollercoaster ride.

According to Chris Johnson on TSN's Insider Trading, Hanifin's camp is about to get serious, and come to Flames GM Craig Conroy with a final stance on their position.

I would expect in the coming days we will get some sort of idea where it's headed definitively. That's because Hanifin's representatives from CAA Sports are expected to have a conversation with Flames management where they present their final position, where there's something to be decided upon and propel this thing forward.

 If that "final position" is not tenable for the Flames, and an extension seems like a mere pipe dream, Conroy will have about a month, until the March 8th trade deadline, to canvas around the league and get himself the best possible return for the 9-year veteran star defenseman.

Hanifin has 25 points in 49 games thus far this season, with a plus/minus rating of +10. He's also logging a hefty 23:30 of ice time per match, a career-high.

The 27 year old out of Boston, Massachusets was the No. 5 overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, and after three seasons there was obtained by the Flames, where he's suited up for the past six years. 

In 647 career games, he has 57 goals and 207 assists for 264 points.

Photo: Brett Holmes-USA TODAY Sports