After 47 games of strong and steady play, only a scalpel could stifle Noah Hanifin’s best year to date in a Calgary Flames sweater.
The 24-year-old excelled alongside the gruff and gritty shutdown defenceman Chris Tanev, with whom he barricaded the blueline for most of the season. As a composed and reliable defensive presence, Tanev let Hanifin hone his breakouts, rushes and pinching by routinely hovering behind him as the last line of protection. The veteran kept them dependable, the youngster made them dynamic, and as a result the two fused into one of the most effective defensive pairings in the entire league.