A deeper look into the Calgary Flames’ Chris Tanev trade

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There is no such thing as a query that Chris Tanev stands as one among Brad Treliving’s finest worth free-agent signings.

Regardless of struggling by means of consecutive years of downward trajectory earlier than touchdown in Calgary, Tanev skilled a considerable bounce again in Flames colors and solidified himself as one of the revered defensive defensemen within the league.

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Little question for this reason as many as 10 groups had been reported to have curiosity in buying Tanev earlier than his current commerce to the Dallas Stars.

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Given his popularity and the obvious demand for his providers, the package deal Craig Conroy obtained for Tanev appears a little bit underwhelming — a 2024 second-round choose, a 2026 conditional third-round choose and prospect Artem Grushnikov.

The second rounder will doubtless land someplace within the 50-60 vary given the standard of the Stars staff this season. The situation hooked up to the third rounder (that Dallas makes the Stanley Cup remaining), ensures a 20% likelihood at buying the choose, at finest (that means an 80% likelihood at getting nothing in any respect).

Grushnikov is a 20-year outdated out of Russia who spent two years taking part in within the OHL, managing a career-high 17 factors in 65 video games final season. A 6-foot-2 defence-first defender, scouts like his competitiveness, dimension, and mobility, which is little doubt why the Flames valued his addition to the commerce package deal.

That stated, defence-only skaters are likely to have pretty restricted ceilings within the NHL (be it at ahead or on defence) with solely a small proportion of them climbing up the depth chart and turning into true influence gamers. The overwhelming majority are deployed in depth and assist roles.

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Tanev himself was one of many exceptions to this rule and the group would little doubt love to seek out one other blueliner of his ilk down the highway.

Along with Grushnikov, the membership has additionally lately drafted Yan Kuznetsov and Axel Hurtig, in addition to buying Joni Jurmo within the Elias Lindholm deal. Every of those guys has an identical scouting profile — massive, powerful to play towards, and little or no offence to talk of.

This is also probably an effort on Conroy’s half to steadiness out the Flames’ assortment of two-way and offensce-oriented blueline prospects in Jeremie Poirier, Etienne Morin and the newly added Hunter Brzustewicz.

However, the return the Flames garnered nonetheless charges a “simply OK” at this level. The shortage of a primary rounder or one of many Stars’ higher ahead prospects means the long-term success of the deal will closely pivot on Grushnikov’s improvement and ceiling in Calgary. Notably the final top-four, defence-first defender the franchise developed arguably was Robyn Regehr again within the early 2000s.

The notion of a comparatively disappointing return can be anchored by the substantial haul the Calgary GM obtained for Lindholm solely a short while in the past, which included a first-round choose, a strong B+ grade prospect, a C grade prospect, a useful NHL roster participant (one season faraway from scoring 40 objectives), and a conditional fourth-round choose.

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Tanev — well-liked as each an efficient participant and a revered chief — returned a lesser choose, a lesser prospect, and a decrease likelihood conditional choose (the situation on the Vancouver choose is it turns into a 3rd if the Canucks make the Western Convention remaining). And that is regardless of the Flames retaining wage within the Tanev deal.

However, this commerce highlights simply how a lot of an distinctive overpay the Lindholm haul was.

In distinction to Tanev, Lindholm is having a poor season (one among his worst seasons since he left Carolina), a slide that has continued in Vancouver. It additionally exhibits how singular and idiosyncratic every commerce negotiation might be, making potential returns extraordinarily tough to foretell.

Conroy nonetheless has Noah Hanifin to dangle as his remaining, main commerce asset on the deadline (Jacob Markstorm however). Hanifin’s comparatively younger age and a career-best flip this 12 months ought to set him as much as be the premier participant obtainable on the deadline.

Since he took over within the low season, Calgary’s freshman GM has added seven draft picks (together with Dallas’s conditional third), three new prospects (all defenders), and two roster gamers in Yegor Sharangovich and Andrei Kuzmenko.

If he can leverage Hanifin so as to add to his consortium of futures, it ought to set the staff as much as kick off the rebuild in earnest transferring ahead.

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