Noah Hanifin will NOT be joining the Lightning.

For several weeks, Noah Hanifin was the Tampa Bay Lightning's top trade target. It was established that the Lightning were Hanifin's preferred destination, so the club worked hard to get him to Tampa Bay. However, we now know that the Calgary Flames are going in a different direction. 

Multiple sources, including NHL insider Darren Dreger, say Hanifin is headed to the Vegas Golden Knights. Dreger also noted the Golden Knights and Hanifin are working on a contract extension.

This is just brutal news for a Lightning club that desperately needed a top-pairing defenseman like Hanifin. However, he is now heading to Vegas, and the Bolts must consider their options elsewhere.

The trade market has shrunk when it comes to defensemen, as Chris Tanev, Sean Walker, and Ilya Lyubushkin have already been moved. Some options that are still available include Jakob Chychrun, David Savard, and Matt Dumba. 

Nevertheless, this is a brutal blow for the Lightning. It will be intriguing to see what the final details of the Hanifin trade will be, but we now know the Lightning have officially missed out on him.