I have no idea where some of these numbers are coming from.... Hanifin is projected by many to be better than Dougie and Dougie is a highly ranked d man. There is no reason for Hanifin to accept anything less than 5.5 on a long-term contract.
You also don't want to sign them to a short term deal otherwise you risk completely losing that trade should they walk or having to pony up some huge dollars based on a couple years worth of performance.
Lindholm from age 20-23 is putting up similar numbers to a 26-29 yr old Backlund. I try to get Lindholm on Backlunds 5.3m contract x6 yrs
Hanifin can easily make a case that he is worth 6m per year on a long term deal. It could end up looking like a TJ Brodie great contract in a couple of years (excluding Brodies bad last year). If you can lock Hanifin up for 7 yrs at 5.75m then I jump at it.
These are pretty low risk deals imo as we aren't dealing with someone of age or someone who has a lot of miles racked up such as a Lucic or Ferland. 5.3 and 5.75 are also a bit easier to swallow if they turn into a bust. Fear sets in when we start talking about anything beyond 6m long term as those can become boat anchors for an entire team over the course of a contract.
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