The Pittsburgh Penguins need to revamp the defense and Noah Hanifin might be the perfect asset.

Kyle Dubas might have a lot on his plate to start his tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but finding a way to reshape the defense has to be a high priority.

The Penguins defense struggled in 2022-23 and is in desperate need of a shake up, but what pieces would be a net positive for the team?

According to the Athletic, Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin could be a useful addition.

Hanifin is entering the final year of his contract that earns him $4.95 million against the salary cap, and he has not shown interest in re-signing with the Flames.

The price tag for Hanifin might be steep, but it would provide a new, capable defender to play alongside Kris Letang on the top unit.

The Athletic puts a deal together that sends both P.O. Joseph and Ty Smith to the Flames, which isn’t ideal, but it might just be the price to pay to get Mikael Granlund off of Pittsburgh’s books.

Tack on a swapping of first round picks between the Penguins and Flames and you’ve got a done deal.

Considering the amount of change that needs to be made within the Penguins lineup, especially on defense, this is a deal that improves multiple areas of the team.

Hanifin is an immediate boost for the blue line, despite losing a pair of NHL-ready defenders, it would mitigate the log jam that still exists.

While the cap savings for the Penguins wouldn’t be huge jumping from Granlund to Hanifin, it is still a push in the right direction and drops an obvious anchor from the roster.

Dubas and the Penguins need to swing for the fences this offseason to succeed with whatever possible window of opportunity they have left.

Hanifin could be a solid first step in revamping the Penguins in the final years of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Letang.

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