The Calgary Flames are on the cusp of playoff contention, at least from a quick glance at the NHL standings. The reality is quite different for the team’s fans and for bettors at Ontario sportsbooks.
Calgary had already traded away one of its key players and could be on the cusp of dumping more salary (or future salary cap issues) as the March 8 trade deadline approaches.
Two of the players popping up in recent reports about trade talks are Flames defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. Both could be on the trading block because Calgary, though only three points behind the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference going into Wednesday’s games, seems to be treading water. Plus, already this month the Flames sent forward Elias Lindholm to their Pacific Division rival, the Canucks.
So OntarioBets.com, your source for the best paying Ontario online casinos, came up with some odds on which teams might trade for either Tanev or Hanifin. First, we’ll look at Hanifin:
Noah Hanifin Trade Destinations
Noah Hanifin Trade Odds
Remember, you won’t see these odds posted with Ontario sports betting apps, only here at OntarioBets.com.
Hanifin, 27, is in his sixth full season with the Flames. He has nine goals, one short of his career high, and 21 points in 56 games. According to Spotrac.com, Hanifin has a salary cap hit of $4.95 million USD in 2023-24 and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. That modest price for just the remainder of this season makes Hanifan a strong candidate for a trade.
When the Flames sent Lindholm to Vancouver, they got back wing Andrei Kuzmenko, two unsigned prospects and future draft picks. If that deal is any indication of the organization’s intentions in Calgary – which has Stanley Cup odds ranging from +10000 to +12500 at various Ontario sportsbooks – the team would seem to be aiming for the future more than trying to go all in on a possible playoff bid in 2023-24.
We say the New Jersey Devils are the favorites to acquire Hanifin at +650 odds (an implied 13.3% chance), followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning (+800, 11.1%). Both of those teams are fighting to be on the right side of the playoff bubble. Going into Wednesday, Tampa Bay is the top wild card in the Eastern Conference with 65 points and New Jersey, with 60 points, is four behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final spot. The Devils have +3000 odds to win the Stanley Cup with Caesars Ontario Sportsbook; the best price on the Bolts is +2600 with FanDuel.
We have the Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs in the running for Hanifin too, though the most likely scenario on our board is that he either goes to another team not on our list, or stays in Calgary (-110 odds, or a 52.3% probability).
Chris Tanev Trade Destinations
Chris Tanev Trade Odds
The Flames, at +6189 odds with Pinnacle Ontario Sportsbook to win the Western Conference, have another possible piece that they could move along before the trade deadline.
Chris Tanev is involved with trade reports just as fellow Flames blueliner Hanifin is. And, like Hanifin, Tanev is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. But there are some differences.
For starters, Tanev is 34, so teams who try to acquire him likely won’t be thinking about having to give him a long-term extension. He also does not contribute as much on offense as Hanifan does; Tanev has 32 goals and 151 assists in 770 career games, including one goal and 11 assists this season.
Our top choice to acquire the Toronto native is his hometown team, the Maple Leafs (see our Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup odds too). We install Toronto at +450 odds (an 18.2% chance) to get Tanev, who has a salary cap hit of $4.5 million USD for the full season.
Tanev began his career with the Canucks, spending 10 seasons with them before joining the Flames in the 2020-21 season. We see a return to Vancouver as a 14.3% chance (+600 odds).
The Devils are also in the running for Tanev, as are the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. We rate the chances of Tanev staying in Calgary, or joining a team not on our list, at +200 odds, a 33.3% chance.
2023-24 Stanley Cup Odds
Edmonton is at or near the top of the board with major Ontario sports betting operators; we found that FanDuel Ontario Sportsbook had the best price, at +850 odds, on the Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup since Mark Messier and Jari Kurri played there in 1990. Bettors leaning toward the Colorado Avalanche to win their second NHL title in three years can get +1000 odds on them at Caesars.
Another team that has surged toward the top of the NHL odds and the East standings plays its home games at an arena just outside of Miami. For sportsbook customers who like the Florida Panthers to win their first Stanley Cup, the best value is at NorthStar Bets Ontario Sportsbook, with +1000 odds.
