The argument can be made the Vegas Golden Knights have two No. 1 defensemen. While Noah Hanifin and Alex Pietrangelo are different players both are alpha D, capable of playing big minutes against top-line opponents and generating offense at the same time.
Pietrangelo has been the guy on the blue line of two Stanley Cup champion teams. Hanifin came to Vegas to climb that mountain.
The 27-year-old from Boston has completed nine NHL seasons playing in 678 games scoring 62 goals and 224 assists for 286 points. The 21-22 season saw Hanifin score 10 goals and 38 assists for the Calgary Flames completing his best statistical season. Between Calgary and Vegas last season, Hanifin totaled 47 points with a career-high 13 goals.
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon traded for Hanifin just prior to the trade deadline sending a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, defenseman Daniil Miromanov and a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 draft.
McCrimmon didn’t wait long to lock up Hanifin, signing him to an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $7,350,000 totalling $58,800,000.
Big, smart, mobile and competitive, Hanifin has all the attributes to anchor a blue line. Vegas now has the luxury of having a top six including Hanifin, Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore. That’s a lot of offense and mobility all on one team.
Hanifin took time out from his offseason and preparing for Golden Knights training camp to answer a few questions for the Q and A below.
Gary Lawless: The last six months, going back to the trade deadline, have they been amongst the busiest days in your life?
Noah Hanifin: Yeah, it was. It was a hectic time, for sure. I think I've said it before in the past, but just having the games and playing hockey was the best escape from all of it. It was such an intense time not knowing what was going to happen with my future and things like that. It's just one of those things all players go through in their free agency year and I'm just really happy with the way it unfolded with me ending up in Vegas. I can't wait just to get a full season under my belt, to get to training camp, get out and get settled with all the guys.
GL: You got traded, so you have to switch cities. You signed a long-term deal, you joined a new team, you go to the playoffs. Then, didn't you get married this summer?
NH: Yeah, I did. It’s been a really crazy year for me, for sure. A lot of change, but a lot of good change. It's something I've been working toward for a long time, just to get settled down and play for an organization like Vegas. They have high expectations every year, and they want to go for Stanley Cups. It’s just a great culture with great guys in that locker room. So, I couldn't be more fortunate with the way it all played out in the end, and I’m really happy to get going.
GL: What do you expect from the team this season?
NH: I think coming off the offseason, the big story was about how we lost a few key guys this summer. But, in saying that, I think it's an opportunity for some other guys to step up and fill bigger roles. That's something we're going to have to do when you lose great players and great people like that. I think we have a really good team again. We have great centermen, a really good D-core, and great goalies with Hill being healthy and by adding Samsonov in there. I think we're going to have a really good team. It's all about just coming out and having a really good training camp. That's where it starts, getting on the same page, and getting everybody dialed in, everybody's body should be feeling good after having a summer like that where we can train. Especially for those guys that won The Cup the year before, they finally really let their bodies heal a little bit and get stronger to come out and have a good season.
GL: How do you feel? How was your summer of training? Give us an overview of what it's been like since you left Vegas to start your offseason.
NH: Yeah, so I trained back in Boston in the summer at Boston University. They have a bunch of NHL guys that train over there and skate together. For me, it's just that I’ve played long enough now that I know what I need each year and where my body is at. This year, I gave myself some time just to mentally regroup. It was a pretty crazy season for me, and I didn't want to really burn myself out this summer, so I gave myself a little bit of time off the ice to really focus on getting in the gym and working on my body to get my strength back. At about the beginning of July is when I started skating again. So, the body is feeling really good. I feel like I definitely have that itch again, just to get back to the season and get back to the routine and see all the guys in the room. Usually, when you have that feeling at the end of the summer, it means you did a good job in managing things well. So, I'm excited to get going.
GL: Any personal goals?
NH: Just coming into the season a lot more comfortable now. Any time you get traded in the middle of the season it can be a situation where you are just trying to get adjusted. You're walking into a new room with new guys. All the players on the team, all the guys, the staff, they're all so great and welcoming. I feel way more comfortable with everybody. This year coming in, and having a full camp with all the guys, I think I can really continue to grow in my role as a Vegas Golden Knight and continue to be a big part of the organization. On and off the ice, and within the room, I'm excited for that whole aspect of it this year. Having a full season with this team, I think it's going to be really good for my growth, both personally and as a player. I'm looking forward to it.
GL: What do you have to say about your D-core and how it compares elsewhere?
NH: Yeah, I think everybody in the league knows that we have one of the better D-cores. We have so much high talent and guys that are able to play every role, as well as big bodies that are hard to play against. That's ultimately what you want every D-core to be like and it's been awesome being able to try to help that group, which was already great, and to step in and continue to grow my game and fit in with them. I think if we want to be the team we expect to be, our defense has to have a good year. I think we're going to do that. We have our coach John Stevens, who has been great, and he'll get us dialed in at camp and get us ready to go.
GL: Did you play more with Nic Hague than anybody else last year? Is that fair to say?
NH: Yeah, I would say so. I think I played with everybody, especially in the playoffs. I played with a lot of different guys, but I would say for most of the time I was in Vegas I played with Nic and I thought it went well together. He is a great player, a real big body, he's long and he's hard to beat one-on-one. I think he's a great defenseman and a great player. It went really well when playing with him.
GL: I’m not suggesting that you can't take care of yourself or anything like that, but I would imagine it is comforting to play with a guy like Nic, where you know he will have your back in any situation.
NH: Yeah, for sure. That's part of his identity as a player, he’s really hard to play against. He’s physical, he's big, he's long, he can frustrate skill players and he's not afraid to back down from anybody. I think it's obviously nice with my game, being more of a skating defenseman. When trying to get up in the play and moving the puck, it's nice having that to balance it out. He’s one of those defensemen you can really trust back there. If something happens and you get caught, you know he's going to be there. So, yeah, he's a great player. I’m looking forward to seeing those guys again and getting on the ice with them again.
GL: Would you like to play for Team USA at Four Nations Face-Off?
NH: Yeah, of course. Any time you have an opportunity to play for your country, it's an honor. I've had a lot of experience playing for U.S. teams with the National Program and World Championships. Every time you get to put on the sweater, it's an amazing feeling. My job is to help our team win in Vegas and have a really good start to the year, but if that opportunity arises, I'd be honored to play for the U.S. team.
GL: We haven't had best-on-best in a long time. What will that be like? Playing against one of your teammates?
NH: Yeah, it'd be strange, for sure. I've done it before. I’ve played against some of my teammates at World Championships before. That's always a little weird, but I think we're all professionals. We all get the business. Even during the regular season now, you play with guys for a long time, and somebody gets traded, so you play against them. It's a little weird, but you go out there and just do your thing. Obviously, you want to beat those guys for the race.
GL: When was the last time you and Jack were teammates?
NH: When we played in two World Championships together, and then we played at the National Program together.
GL: Did you play together before then?
NH: We did. We played in tournaments together, and some summer tournaments. We were the same draft year, but Jack was ‘96 and I was ‘97, so when we were growing up, we always played against each other in summer tournaments. We never played on the same team because we were in two different birth years. He was always playing on a ‘96 team, and I was on a ‘97 one growing up, but we just ran into each other all the time. Being from Massachusetts we always saw each other. So, me and Jack go way back.
GL: When you started playing with him in Vegas, was it just like the last time you played together? Or was it different?
NH: It was definitely comforting for me when going to a new team. I know a lot of guys around the league, but me and Jack being from Massachusetts have a lot of mutual friends. We grew up playing against and with each other a lot. I was just super familiar with him. I think he really helped ease me into Vegas, and just getting to know the city and the area and made me feel really comfortable in the room. I think he played a huge part in that for me. He's a great teammate and a great hockey player. I'm really lucky that we get to play together for a full year now and play together in Vegas. It’s been awesome.
GL: Do you pay attention at all to what gets said about your team on social media?
NH: To be honest, not really. I try to stay away from that stuff because I just try to control what I can at all times. My performance and work ethic are really all I can control. What other people are saying about our team or about individual performances, you can't really put too much time into that. I have so much belief in the group, and I think we're going to have a really good season. I'm really excited about getting it going and having a good camp. So, I think that's what the belief is in the room. That's what matters the most.
GL: What do you like about Vegas?
NH: Oh, man, what’s not to like? It’s a great place to live. When I first got traded to Vegas, I had only been on The Strip before. Whenever we played Vegas, I had only been there, so I never really knew about the areas surrounding Vegas, like Summerlin and all those spots. It’s such a beautiful place to live, and the people are awesome. The fans are great. I think the Golden Knights being their first pro team has really helped that fan base grow. It’s so much fun playing in front of the people there every night. There's so much to do. There are so many great restaurants and shows and other things to do. It's a really good place, and I can't wait to get back out there.
