The Calgary Flames continued their stretched-out retool on Wednesday [28 February] when they sent physical defenceman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars for draft capital and prospect Artem Grushnikov.
Granted, the deal wasn’t quite that simple, there were a whole host of salary cap machinations that saw the New Jersey Devils looped into the deal and netminder Cole Brady flipped between various parties as a paperweight.
Ultimately, the bottom line is that the Devils and Flames have taken on three-quarters of Tanev’s $4.5 million salary, with the remaining $1.125 million paid by Dallas.
New Jersey received a fourth-round pick from the Stars for their role in the transaction.
Naturally, it’s time for a team-by-team breakdown of the trade – which side, the Stars or the Flames, should be happiest after this deal?
Analysis: Dallas Stars land the top defenceman available at the trade deadline
The Stars have pulled off quite the coup, here.
Tanev was the top defensive defenceman available on the trade market ahead of the deadline and looks to be a natural fit for a Dallas squad with Stanley Cup aspirations.
Impressively, they still have room to make further additions to their roster.
Tanev has been solid value for the Flames at $4.5 million against the salary cap or the past four campaigns. The Stars secured his rights for a quarter of that figure, adding a right-handed defenceman to an already stacked blueline.
The 34-year-old pending unrestricted free agent stands out as one of the best shutdown defenders in the NHL, albeit with the puck-moving ability to match.
Tanev is the kind of player who makes his partner look better, using his frame and defensive skill to force opposition forwards into making low percentage plays. He also has 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) on the season.
The Stars will lose an additional third-round pick if they reach the Stanley Cup final, a price general manager Jim Nill would be happy to pay.
Dallas just vastly improved their championship chances without subtracting from their roster – solid work.
Analysis: Calgary Flames accelerate retool with Chris Tanev trade
The Flames shouldn’t be too excited about the return for Tanev – a second-round pick, a conditional third-round pick, and rookie defenceman Artem Grushnikov, who isn’t a lock to make it to the show.
With that said, a second-round pick will help general manager Craig Conroy accelerate his organisational retool.
“Just a true professional and a great person to be around,” Conroy said of Tanev on 960 the FAN’s “Flames Talk. “He’ll be greatly missed. We all watch him and what he does on the ice, but it’s how he leads off the ice and the type of person he is.
“I had teams that were not in the playoffs call. Everybody would like to have a Chris Tanev on their team, so there was lots of interest.”
While the Flames will be disappointed not to have netted a first-rounder in exchange, they shouldn’t despair either. They did okay on this one.
