The Vegas Golden Knights found their man and will be keeping him around, and why wouldn’t they? Noah Hanifin re-signs with the club on an eight-year extension, with an average annual value of $7.35 M. Hanifin has fit in to Vegas nicely since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Calgary Flames.
Noah Hanifin Re-Signs with the Golden Knights
Ahead of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, Noah Hanifin has been given the ultimate praise with a long-term contract extension. Hanifin is a top-four, 6′ 3″, 207 lb. left-handed defenceman. He played in 77 games for Vegas and Calgary in 2023-24. Furthermore, he is currently getting a career-high 23:37 of average ice time on the year. After being the fifth overall pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Hanifin was later traded to Calgary with Elias Lindholm. The two-way defenceman has slowly progressed over his career and is a decent top-four option. This season has been a career one for him. He has a career-high 13 goals, and his 44 points is his second best, behind his 48 in 2021-22.
Hanifin can be used in all situations and provides a lot of shot generation. He has been given power play time since coming over, like he was in Calgary. He has a career-high five goals on the man advantage on the campaign. Moreover, while not necessarily a power play specialist, he had one goal and eight assists with the man advantage last season. He is also decent in his own end and is a fairly smooth skater.
What this Means Moving Forward
At age 27, Hanifin is pretty well in his prime with the potential for at least a year or two. He can play both ends of the ice and in all situations. Having this versatility is a big benefit to the Golden Knights. He will be a tremendous help as the Golden Knights embark on their defence of the Stanley Cup Championship.
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