NHL trade grades: Golden Knights swing for the fences with Noah Hanifin acquisition

The Golden Knights have beefed up their blue line in a big way

By Chris Bengel Mar 7, 2024 at 11:32 am ET• 4 min read

The Vegas Golden Knights once again made one of the biggest splashes at the trade deadline by acquiring star defenseman Noah Hanifin in a three-team trade with the Calgary Flames.

In exchange for Hanifin's services, the Flames received defenseman Daniil Miromanov, a 2025 or 2026 first-round pick, and a conditional third-round pick. The first-round pick will be in 2025 unless the Golden Knights trade it this year. The Flyers netted a 2024 fifth-round pick as a broker in the deal.

The Golden Knights certainly saw the need to upgrade their defensive core with Alec Martinez currently being sidelined. It seemed to be a necessary move for the defending Stanley Cup champions that are clearly going for it all once again in 2023-24.

Meanwhile, the Flames were hamstrung a bit when it comes to Hanifin after the two sides couldn't agree to terms on a contract extension. Hanifin is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, so the return may have been more limited than the franchise would've liked. With that being said, Calgary still managed to land more draft capital as well as a talented young blue-liner in the process.