Insider Trading: Hanifin expected to be dealt south of the border

TSN’s Hockey Insiders have more on Flames blueliner Noah Hanifin, how buyers are patiently waiting for the list of sellers to grow, and the latest on the Penguins, Stars and Panthers, and the Coyotes being in the market for more draft picks.

What's the latest on Noah Hanifin C.J.?

Chris Johnston: The (Calgary) Flames have made a concerted effort to sign the pending unrestricted free-agent defenceman. And they may still have another push to try to get that done. But with a little bit more than two weeks to go before the deadline, it's seeming increasingly likely that the 27-year-old defenceman will be moved elsewhere. He's got some say in the matter. He's got eight teams on a no-trade clause - a limited no-trade clause. I'm told that they're not all Canadian teams and that there's maybe an open destination there. But the feeling is he's going to end up south of the border because it is believed to be his preference to sign his next contract somewhere in the U.S. As we look for destinations where he might land, there's a number of teams with interest but keep your eye on the Tampa Bay Lightning. They're always the stealth operators at the deadline and they're believed to be looking at him with Mikhail Sergachev out injured.

Darren Dreger: We know that the Calgary Flames are in selling mode but the buyers are still waiting for the market to get fully established. And we've talked about a number of Canadian teams that have already been active, but there are other teams that are sitting in waiting and trying to get going. The Ottawa Senators have made it clear that they're in a position to do something bigger, but Steve Staios has no choice but to wait for the market to establish. What about the Edmonton Oilers? Now in a perfect scenario, we know the Oilers would like to add a forward to help Leon Draisaitl in the top six. But, they're also looking at what Adam Henrique might bring from the Anaheim Ducks as a third-line center. So there are several options that the veteran general manager Ken Holland is looking at in Edmonton as well

How does Kyle Dubas handle his first very tricky deadline as the Pittsburgh Penguins' GM?

Pierre LeBrun: Kyle Dubas right now is listening on pretty much everyone on his roster other than his core guys. I hope I underline that part for everyone. But that still leaves a lot of players that he's listening on and for example, a player that he's listening on is Reilly Smith, who's not a pending UFA. He's got another year in his deal at $5M next year, but he's a Cup champion with playoff experience. And now I know that that may intrigue a few contenders somewhere on their list. The Penguins will be in sell mode to some degree between now and March 8.

Dreger: And as is the case every single year, fellas, we know that defencemen are always a hot commodity. The Dallas Stars seem to be relatively quiet but this is a team that we're gonna have to keep an eye on because without question they are going to add. They lead the Central Division, they're in it to win a Stanley Cup and they feel like they're pretty close. They'd like to add an experienced right-shot defenceman - a lot of teams would like to add that so they're looking at some of the usual suspects. Chris Tanev checks a lot of boxes because the Stars would also like to add a key penalty killer and we know that Tanev can provide that. I look at Detroit being in that mix for a defenceman and the New Jersey Devils even though they continue to talk on top-level goaltenders. They're kicking tires on D and forwards as well.

The Florida Panthers snuck up on us last year making that Stanley Cup Final. They're not sneaking up on anybody this year. They look every part the contender again this year, but yet, they don't come up much in this segment, Pierre.

LeBrun: I think if you talk to a lot of people there's not a lot of trade speculation around them. It's not that they don't want to add. They do. In fact, the Panthers, who will have about $5M in cap space closer to the trade deadline, would like to add a top-nine forward. But, they don't have the kind of assets sometimes that you really need at this time of year. For example, they don't have a first-round pick until 2026. They dealt their '25 pick for Matthew Tkachuk, and their '24 pick for Claude Giroux. (There's) no regrets there, but it just means that they're going to have to be a little more creative to go add and that's what they plan on trying to do.

Arizona is in a freefall, again, C.J., but they already have all these draft picks. Usually, when you're trading pieces, you're getting future draft picks. Can they get more draft picks when they already have so many?

Johnston: Well, that's the plan and certainly, there's a feeling out of Arizona that there can't be too much of a good thing. And, obviously, they're not happy to have dropped as many games as they have with one win and their last 11 heading into Wednesday's game against Toronto. But, you know, as the "for sale" sign goes up in Arizona, and they're looking at moving pending UFAs like Matt Dumba (and) Jason Zucker, absolutely the Coyotes would take more draft picks. They've got 20 in total in the first few rounds of the next three drafts, but they would happily add more because they believe that that can give them flexibility down the line when they're trading picks out for players.