As quickly as you heard that Mark Stone was coping with a lacerated spleen, it is best to’ve seen this coming. You must’ve identified.
Don’t blame Vegas for making the most of Stone hitting long-term injured reserve for the second straight February. A banged-up inside organ is nothing to take calmly. The Golden Knights, although, know higher than most that chance typically accompanies misfortune. Final season, Stone’s absence allowed them to amass Ivan Barbashev and Teddy Blueger. Each gamers, notably Barbashev, wound up being essential to their Cup run … however not fairly as essential as Stone, who returned for Recreation 1 of the postseason. Don’t hate the participant, et cetera, et cetera. Except the NHL decides to implement the wage cap within the playoffs, it will preserve occurring. Odds are, it’ll preserve occurring with the Golden Knights.
This season, they’ve upped the ante, first with Anthony Mantha, a savvy, cost-effective addition to the center six, and now with Hanifin, the most effective defenseman in the marketplace. In him, Vegas will get a fringe No. 1 man within the midst of his greatest season as a degree producer (11 targets, 35 factors), and with a strong observe report of being fairly good at, mainly, all the things. He’s solely 27. If “jack of all trades, grasp of none” is the worst little bit of criticism you possibly can muster a couple of participant, are you actually criticizing him in any respect?
Noah Hanifin is a very fascinating match on the Golden Knights, whose two greatest defensemen (Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore) each play on the best aspect. That makes the left-handed Hanifin a bit extra priceless to Vegas than the NHL at giant. There are GMs on the market who’d promote their canine for a half-decent proper shot. Kelly McCrimmon doesn’t want to fret about that, with Pietrangelo and Theodore within the fold. Their presence can be a layer of insulation for Hanifin; on different groups, the expectation is likely to be that he’s a no-doubt, high-end No. 1 defenseman. With Vegas, that’s off the desk. Whether or not he’s elite or not, he’s about to be the most effective No. 3 defenseman within the NHL.
With Alec Martinez hitting IR on Wednesday, you’d assume Hanifin begins with Pietrangelo and instantly takes on a few of the zone-exit duties. The concept of a Hanifin-Theodore second pair down the road is intriguing. An alternative choice is likely to be to maneuver Theodore, a left shot, again to the left aspect. The general level: Vegas has choices as a result of it simply went and received a do-everything D-man within the prime of his profession — and never only for a Cup chase, both. The Golden Knights are 2-7-1 of their final 10 and, unexpectedly, tied with Nashville for the primary wild-card spot. In different phrases, they want Hanifin (and Mantha, and whoever else they finesse onto the roster) for March and Could alike. The wage retention makes it doubtless, if not sure, that they’re not finished.
For Calgary GM Craig Conroy, the first-round decide is the prize — and a step up from the Chris Tanev return. Accepting any much less, even when contemplating Hanifin’s appreciable leverage, would’ve been a bitter tablet. It’s not a powerful return; it’s an ample one, however simply barely. Consider it this fashion: the Flyers received a first-round decide for Sean Walker. Hanifin netted them an additional fringe participant and conditional third-rounder. That’s powerful.
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NHL commerce grades: Vegas clear winner in Noah Hanifin take care of Calgary