The Hanifin to NSH kept popping up, so I tried to figure out what would Nashville be willing to pay.
Since McDonagh has a NTC, it might be Barrie instead. I'm mostly looking at Evangelista + Svechkov or Molendyk as a part of the return.

Who needs to add?

I look at McDonagh as a leader, and a Tanev replacement. Age is a bit of a problem here and I expect McDonagh to slow down, that's why the Preds retain ~$2.25M. I really like Evangelista, and Svechkov shows great promise.

Nobody needs to add. Calgary turns that down flat. There's no way the Flames take on 34 year old McDonagh and his contract with 3 years left on it. No need for Barrie either we have multiple defensemen that are as good offensively while being far better defensively. Adding a couple B prospects doesn't help any.

Conroy will wait until he gets the going price for a young top 4 defenseman like Hanifin which is better than this. He might not get offered much until someone needs an injury replacement or until just before the trade deadline but he will get it. There's no need to panic and accept lowball offers.

I wouldn't trade Evangelista straight up for a year of Hanifin. He's a good defenseman, but it's not like he'd be on NSH's top pair or getting much PP time. Add Svechkov, McDonagh, and all that retention - it's an easy, easy pass for NSH.

I wouldn't call those prospects B prospects. Evangelista was absolutely great last year. Svechkov has a top 6 C potential, which is something we need. He was taken 6 picks after Coronato, in case you were curious. Molendyk, is 1st round pick in the most recent draft and also has a ton of potential.

As for McDonagh, he wasn't bad last year, he didn't mesh with Ekholm to start, but I thought he was solid after. It is risky, but I think that he can be a pretty good player for us in the next 3 years. Barrie is someone you take and try to flip at the deadline, gives us another solid option on the PP, in case PP1 looks as lackluster as it did last year.

I guess that depends on if you see McDonagh being worth $6.7M as a 34, 35, and 36 year old. I certainly don't. Look at the package you got for Ekholm - Barrie + 1st + prospect(last year's 1st) + a 4th I believe. What the Flames are getting in this scenario is less than that despite the Flames taking on a bad contract. Again if you could sign Hanifin, on which the trade will depend, he would be just as solid as Ekholm and younger to boot.

Really it doesn't matter much what you propose. Someone like this guy will always insist your top 6 / top 4 player is worth less than their 4th line forward / depth defenesman / B prospect.

CGY isn't taking on a $6.75M McDonagh in your proposal. They're getting him at under $4.5M which is incredibly reasonable, even if you think he's going to experience some regression.

I'd expect a lesser return for Hanifin than NSH got for Ekholm - the Oilers get Ekholm for 3.5 seasons, and whoever trades for Hanifin is only guaranteed one year. Is this return really less than what Ekholm went for though? NSH got a 1st, a 4th, Schaefer & Barrie for Ekholm ($250 000 retained) and a 6th. Evangelista is worth at least a late 1st, if not more. Schaefer and Svechkov are probably close in value (personally I like Svechkov more, but to each their own). CGY gets an extra season of a veteran defenceman than NSH did, and they're getting ten times the retention that the Oilers did.

The Oilers and the Preds are in different places, so the comparison doesn't quite work anyway. EDM is in a place where they need to go for it, while they have McDavid and Drai in their primes. Plus, they had a huge need for a defenseman like Ekholm to bolster their D and mentor Bouchard. NSH is retooling, and Hanifin isn't nearly as big of a need. Money used to give him a raise would be better spent elsewhere on the roster (especially if NSH burns more retention money on McDonagh, and loses two cheap ELC forwards in this deal).

I get the appeal for CGY, but nothing about a Hanifin trade makes sense from NSH's perspective.

First of all, I enjoy the discussion, and don't mind disagreeing on value.

I'll start from the late first, you picked Molendyk I'll gladly take him instead of Evangelista, I don't think it's that much of a downgrade, just need to wait a couple of years for him to pop.

I agree Calgary is getting McDonagh at $4.5, but even at that cap hit he might be overpaid in a year or two(see Suter), the point is that we don't know when the wheels fall off. He was a #4 last year, Hanifin was a #2. What do you value McDonagh at $4.5M on the open market considering how cap strapped the league is? MTL just got Petry in a similar deal largely as a cap dump.

I would do the deal without taking a D back but then NSH would have too many LD, and would still need an upgrade. The reason I was looking at NSH as a destination was because of some trade rumors. I don't think it's a good idea for them to try and compete now, but I think they have the appetite to try.

Finally, I don't believe NSH will go for that trade unless they think they can sign Hanifin, and he's in their long term plans as a part of the current retool.

I think Evangelista is the better prospect, but Molendyk is less expendable to NSH. The majority of NSH's top prospects are wingers, but they don't really have another defense prospect with top four upside.

Regardless, I just don't see a fit with NSH and Hanifin. Perhaps if Hanifin makes it to free agency, and NSH clears out a defenceman or two. This definitely doesn't look like a go for it season for the Preds, and giving up assets for Hanifin makes little sense for them.

I know there are rumours about a Hanifin to NSH trade, but they likely came from a source without a lot of knowledge about the Preds. Only one writer who covers NSH has bothered to discuss it, and she came to the same conclusion as most of the fanbase - regardless of what CGY is asking for, the timing and fit aren't there for NSH.

This trade is moot anyway, McD won’t waive a low tax Tennessee for Canada. It’s likely he retires in Nashville or goes to another low tax contender for a year when his contract is up.

The cost of moving McD (to have him moved with retention) Is not Svechkov and Evangelista, Who are also not “B” prospects.

Hanifin, I believe, is a solid 2LD piece. But he’s not a unicorn player. Metrics took a bit of a down slide last season and it’s not like we really need him for points. We also see time and time again that GM’s LOVE to overvalue big and physical defenseman more than puck movers, which Hanifin is not. I don’t think he nets a super massive return.

I wouldn’t use the Ekholm comp here. Ekholm is like twice as good defensively and he’s big, which again, GM’s love. Edmonton was also willing to overpay despite his age because he’s the exact defenseman the Oilers needed. Nashville doesn’t have a need for Hanifin.

I think in the BEST case scenario for Calgary, Hanifin might get them a late 1st and maybe a 3rd or 4th with retention. I think the Provorov comp is more viable.

also the “rumours” everyone thinks are real, came from one single article from a writer who posed a question “should nashville trade for hanifin”, and calgary fans ate it up as actual trade rumours

The tax argument I get, but again then no player will ever be traded to CGY, I'm sure it would be a consideration.

As for Ekholm being big and Hanifin not. Ekholm is 6'4" 215lbs, Hanifin is 6'3" 215lbs. That's a pretty comparable size, he doesn't have big hits but he plays physical. The Hanifin - Tanev pairing to end the season was absolutely amazing both offensively and defensively. They had an xG% of 67%, and some of the lowest xGA/60 in that span.

Saying Ekholm is twice as good defensively is a joke, he had good chemistry with Bouchard, but didn't look good with McDonagh. The Flames had struggles using man defense this season, they prevented a lot of chances but the breakdowns were just terrible. Hanifin for his part was just as steady.

I'm actually willing to bet that Hanifin has a monster year this year. I hope it will be in CGY, and he decides to stay, but a 1st and a 4th would be just a terrible return. I didn't realize just how underrated Hanifin was with other fan bases.

Well, of course Ekholm didn't look good with McD, because Hynes tried playing him on the offhand, which he can not. Ekholm was having an incredibly good defensive season, even prior to the trade. Amassing a a really good 5v5 defensive percentile



This graph was created just prior to the Oilers trade^, and his numbers increased when he got there.

Hanifin was producing better offensive rates than he was defensively. So I honestly do not think the Ekholm comp is remotely comparable.

Once again, I believe the Provorov comp to be much more suited for Hanifin's playstyle.