Calgary Flames stock up with another first-rounder, a second-draft pick and defenceman in swap that sends Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights

Calgary adds more selections to the mix in its rebuilding program upon dealing away a fourth pending UFA during this season

The rich got richer and the Calgary Flames have added more to their future by dealing pending unrestricted free-agent defenceman Noah Hanifin to the reigning Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

Calgary receives a conditional 2025 first-round pick (which could become a 2026), a conditional 2025 third-rounder that becomes a second-round pick if the Golden Knights win a playoff round this year and defenceman Daniil Miromanov. The Flames retained half of the remainder of Hanifin’s $4.95 million salary, while the Philadelphia Flyers are paying one-quarter of it.

Before the deal, the Flames owned a pair of first-round picks this year — their own plus Vancouver’s — as well as two second-round selections (having acquired Dallas’s), their own third- and fourth- round picks, as well as a second fourth rounder that could be a third-round selection if the Vancouver Canucks reach this year's conference final.

“It was extremely important to us to ensure this deal featured a first-round draft pick, and a third-round pick that has the potential to become a second-round selection,” general manager Craig Conroy said via statement. “Additionally, we have been tracking Daniil the past couple of seasons and we are pleased to have been able to ensure he was a part of this trade. He has good size at 6’4” with good skating ability and speed. He commands a heavy shot, makes quick plays and we are excited about his offensive upside. At the AHL level he has been dominant in creating offence as a defenceman and we anticipate that to translate to the NHL.”

If Vegas possesses its own first-round choice in the 2025 draft and it is not a top-10 pick after the 2025 draft lottery results), Vegas, Calgary receives it. Otherwise, it becomes a 2026 selection.

"You start looking at our daft board, and we have a lot of opportunities to find players," Conroy told the team's website.

Miromanov, 26, has played in 29 NHL games, four this season, after returning from major knee surgery. The 6-foot-4, 207-lb. right-handed blueliner from Moscow, Russia, is due to become a Group 6 unrestricted free-agent after this season. Miromanov signed a two-year contract extension with a $1.25-million hit.

Calgary kicks off a three-game road trip on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were reportedly heavy in the mix to acquire and re-sign Hanifin before Friday’s trade deadline and were apparently his destination of choice. The Flames (30-26-5, 65 points) are eight points out of a playoff spot with 21 games remaining. Curiously, the Golden Knights are tied with the Nashville Predators for the two Western Conference wild-card positions.

Hanfiin, 27, has posted career-best 11 goals along with 24 assists in 61 games this season. Acquired in the summer of 2018 from the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Elias Lindholm, Hanifin was in the final season of a six-year contract.

A minute-devouring defenceman, Hanifin plays in all situations and even in the midst of a rebuild, the Flames made a concerted push to re-sign him. They were reportedly close to a deal early in the season worth $60 million over eight years, but the talks pulled back while the team struggled early this season.

Hanifin is the final of the big-name pending UFAs the club had to deal with. Of them all, only captain Mikael Backlund has re-signed. Tyler Toffoli was traded last summer to the New Jersey Devils for a draft pick and Yegor Sharangovich, while Nikita Zadorov and Lindholm were dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for an array of draft picks and few prospects, as well as forward Andrei Kuzmenko. Chris Tanev, who was mainly paired with Hanifin this season, was dealt to the Dallas Stars last week for a second-round pick, a conditional pick and prospect defenceman Artem Gushnikov.

Barring a surprise, the Flames are likely done any big-ticket moves — unless a deal involving number-one goaltender Jacob Markstrom comes together quickly.

The most valuable Flames player who is a pending UFA is defenceman Oliver Kylington, and it’s expected he will re-sign with the club after missing more than a season and a half dealing with his mental health before joining the club in January.