Noah Hanifin has been, well, average
On the other hand, Noah Hanifin has been pedestrian for the Vegas Golden Knights. The Boston native has six goals and 15 assists this season, on pace for nine goals and 23 assists. The friend of Jack Eichel has been virtually nonexistent on the attack, which was the whole point of trading for him... and giving him an eight-year deal worth $58.8 million. You're better off getting Luka Doncic at 400 lbs. on the blue line.
But his defensive problems have also flared up. Often, you'll find Hanifin at the bottom of impact ratings on Hockey Statcards, where his defensive game joins the offensive woes. Take this game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 20 as a perfect example.
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Vegas Golden Knights on 2024-11-20:#VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/4eauETgKgy
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) November 21, 2024
Ironically enough, Hanifin and Alex Pietrangelo are at the bottom of the card. Both have been a boom-or-bust pair this season, providing an offensive spark when the team needed it. They've also caused massive headaches for Bruce Cassidy, given that the duo can be easily exploited by speed in the transition game.
The worst part is where do you put a guy like Hanifin? Do you stick him on a line with a defensive-minded player like Nicolas Hague, where you have all the size in the world? The only problem is you're not generating much offensively, which has been the main focus for the Golden Knights. What about him and Shea Theodore? Basically, you have a pair that can offensively boom. However, there isn't much in the line of defense.