News of Damon Severson heading to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Friday’s sign-and-trade contract with the New Jersey Devils certainly should pique the interest of the Calgary Flames and their fans.
Severson’s deal, an eight-year, $50-million pact ($6.25-million average) is yet another that fits a framework for a potential contract to retain Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin.
Hanifin, 26, is among Calgary’s crop of pending unrestricted free-agents after the coming 2023-24 season, and arguably the most valuable among the defensemen who will be looking for a new deal. (Chris Tanev is also due to be a UFA, and is more of a gritty, shutdown player, but will also be 34 years old this December.)
At season’s end, with one more campaign to come on the six-year, $29.7-million contract he signed in 2018 after the Flames acquired him from the Carolina Hurricanes, Hanifin sounded open to remaining in Calgary.
“It’s a great city. It’s an awesome place to play and I really enjoy being a part of it, great fans, great town,” he said. “If everything ends up working out, I’m definitely open to talking about it.”
Severson’s contract — which is identical to the deal MacKenzie Weegar has with the Flames and kicks in for the 2023-24 season — is not the only one that is should be in the ballpark for Hanifin.
Others could include Hampus Lindholm (Boston: eight years, $52 million); Ryan Pulock (New York Islanders: eight years, $49.2 million) and Justin Faulk (St. Louis: seven years, $45.5 million), to name a few.
Offensively, Hanifin took a step back last season (seven goals, 38 points) compared to the 2021-22 campaign (10 goals, 48 points), but a bounce-back is easy to see for the slick-skating top-four defenseman. The Flames worked on getting Hanifin to play a quieter game his first few years in Calgary, and a new head coach may remove some of those shackles.