Noah Hanifin and the Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to an eight-year contract extension price $7.35 million yearly, the crew introduced Thursday.
Re-signing Hanifin, who was set to turn into a pending unrestricted free agent on the finish of the season, to a long-term deal comes just a little greater than a month after the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights acquired the 27-year-old defenseman in a three-team commerce with the Calgary Flames and the Philadelphia Flyers simply days earlier than the NHL commerce deadline.
Getting a brand new deal achieved for Hanifin means the Golden Knights now have 9 gamers on their roster who’ve greater than two extra years remaining on their present offers. It is a group that features heart Jack Eichel, captain and left winger Mark Stone and ahead William Karlsson, amongst others.
Hanifin’s time with the Golden Knights has led to him scoring two targets and 9 factors in 16 video games whereas averaging greater than 23 minutes per contest.
What he is achieved together with his new crew has additionally added to a season that may very well be the strongest of his nine-year profession. Hanifin has scored a career-high 13 targets whereas his 44 factors are 4 shy of tying the private greatest he set again within the 2021-22 marketing campaign.
Trying to turn into the fourth crew since 1990 to repeat as Stanley Cup champions was a part of the motivation for why the Golden Knights received Hanifin. It additionally got here with the potential they might signal him to a long-term contract and take what would have been one of the vital sought-after gamers in free company off the market.
Hanifin’s arrival was one among three vital trades the Golden Knights executed simply days earlier than the NHL commerce deadline. It started by getting ahead Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals and ended with them gorgeous the hockey panorama by pulling off a deal to get ahead Tomas Hertl, who has six years left on his contract after this season, from the San Jose Sharks.
Mantha, a pending UFA, additionally has 9 factors in 16 video games whereas Hertl, who was recovering from left knee surgical procedure, has a degree in two video games having simply made his debut with the Golden Knights on Monday.
Another excuse why the Golden Knights traded for Hanifin was the promise that got here with enjoying him subsequent to Alex Pietrangelo. Having a Hanifin-Pietrangelo partnership gave the Golden Knights a high pairing that would not solely create scoring possibilities and preserve possession within the offensive zone, however they might additionally forge a partnership that may very well be simply as impactful when within the defensive zone.
Hanifin and Pietrangelo had logged practically 77 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time whereas permitting 5 targets in seven video games earlier than Pietrangelo got here down with an sickness that has stored him out of the lineup since April 2.
Coming into Thursday, the Golden Knights have been within the last Western Convention wild-card spot. They held a three-point lead over the St. Louis Blues whereas having performed one fewer sport.