Calgary Flames sign Joel Hanley to a two-year contract extension

A career season

Hanley had a really nice season this past year for the Flames. He came into the season as the Flames 8th defenceman and finished it by playing on the team’s top pair with MacKenzie Weegar. Hanley would play in a career high of 53 games and score 9 points while being a nice anchor to Weegar for most of the year. Weegar played with many different partners this season, but he and Hanley had the best chemistry of the bunch, and they worked together.

The smooth skating Hanley gave Weegar a good leash to go for it offensively, and Hanley made sure always to have his back. While they made for a nice pair, this probably should not be a long-term commitment. The Flames need to find a legit partner for Weegar, but Hanley is sure to be a decent stopgap until then.

It was clear that Hanley was loved in the room and he made the most of his opportunity that he got this season. Hanley would be best in a bottom pairing role, maybe beside one of the team’s prospects in either Zayne Parekh or Hunter Brzustewicz next season.