What adjustments Noah Hanifin must make in his first full Golden Knights season

When you get a big-name defender to join your team, you want to win the Stanley Cup with them on your team. When you give him a contract extension, you hope to cash in multiple times. The Vegas Golden Knights did this with Noah Hanifin when they signed him to an eight-year, $7.35 million AAV deal in April.

This was after they acquired him from the Calgary Flames in a three-team deal, bolstering their defensive core. Now, Hanifin will play alongside Alex Pietrangelo to give the Golden Knights an offensive bite on the blue line. That way, they can solve more problems with their team. That includes an anemic power play that has looked as unsettling as Tilda Swinton.

With the team looking different from a couple of years ago, some adjustments must be made. That starts with Hanifin, who's not a perfect player. Although he's done a good job as a Golden Knights blue liner (two power play goals and three power play assists in 19 games last season), he must make the following adjustments. He scored two goals and ten assists in those 19 games. Here are the adjustments the Boston native must make to become more effective.

How Noah Hanifin can become better defensively with the Vegas Golden Knights

One thing Noah Hanifin must improve with the Vegas Golden Knights is playing better away from the puck. He's been known to make careless mistakes when he's on the other end, which leads to scoring opportunities for his opponents. Adjusting this starts with getting better at reading the play and acting accordingly.

Being physical will also help him become more acclimated on the forecheck. Career-wise, he's only delivered 604 hits, which doesn't stand out on the Golden Knights. Luckily, Bruce Cassidy has a system in place that helps with this. He encourages players to use their bodies for many purposes, whether it's delivering hard checks or blocking shots. Fortunately, he's projected to play alongside Alex Pietrangelo, who can bring out the best of him in this regard.

Finally, taking care of the puck will help him become a productive Golden Knights star. He's had trouble with this, where he's given it away 529 times in his career. Having better control of the puck will make the offense run smoothly, giving Vegas more offensive firepower. In turn, Hanifin will turn the top pairing into one of the most underrated (and deadly) pairs in the NHL.

Vegas has made two of the biggest moves in franchise history bolstering its top pairing. By signing Pietrangelo to a long-term deal and signing and extending Hanifin, they've created a strong blue line with excellent offensive capabilities. But Pietrangelo isn't getting younger and his play's starting to slip. Therefore, it's on Hanifin to start carrying the work load defensively.