We know the Calgary Flames may very well be open for business as early as at the end of this month. The team has dropped three straight contests and is plummeting back to the bottom of the league-wide standings as they sit 25th in not only total points but also point percentage. Nikita Zadorov was moved just a few weeks ago, and with Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm all pending unrestricted free agents, the team will most likely begin to shop and sell those players off for future assets.
In saying that, the one guy the Flames would like to keep around would be Tanev, and with him being listed as day-to-day after taking a hit from Ross Colton Monday night in Colorado, the team is in no rush to move him going into the new year.
Tanev’s injury could put a hold on all trade talks, for now
As I mentioned above, Tanev took a hard hit Monday night just 15 seconds into the game against the Avalanche and did not return to action. He was not available Tuesday as the team re-called Nick DeSimone from the Wranglers, and Tanev was said to be day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
We don’t know what the timeline will be for a return to action for Tanev, but the hit he took did not look good, and considering his age and injury history, it could possibly be longer than the day-to-day status the Flames listed him as earlier this week. Now, this has probably put all potential trade talks for Tanev on hold as they wait and see when Tanev will return from the injury. We know the Toronto Maple Leafs have been snooping around on Tanev, and with him getting injured this could be a major hurdle for the Flames to get the biggest return that they want, so we will see where things go as we await a return from the Flames blue liner.
The Flames could choose to bring Tanev back in free agency
The Flames love Tanev as both a person and as a player, it was one of the big reasons they brought him in during the fall of 2020, and the decision to potentially move on from Tanev is going to be a tough one for the organization to make. Elliotte Friedman reported that the Flames would make one more run at extending Tanev before considering a trade—thus far it has been quiet on that front.
Yesterday afternoon Pierre LeBrun reported that the Flames are not only in no rush to move him, but if a trade does surface, they will look to sign Tanev when free agency opens up in July. For the aforementioned Leafs, LeBrun also said that it would probably take a first-round pick to entice the Flames to move Tanev right now, as opposed to waiting until the trade deadline in March.
It is an interesting point of note that LeBrun makes regarding the Flames circling back on Tanev come July. I can see from the Flames perspective why that would make sense, but I get the feeling that (unless Tanev loves Calgary that much) Tanev would want to go and try and play for a contender, as he is nearing the end of his career and winning a Stanley Cup would probably be his top priority.
The Flames should not wait, they should act
I have beaten this drum a couple of times already in the last few months, but I don’t think they can choose to wait when it comes to moving on from Tanev. He has been an absolute rock on the blue line since the Flames signed him and I can understand that he is a leader on the team and the guys probably love having him around, but with this injury that he has just sustained (and considering his history) they cannot afford to hang onto him for him to potentially get injured again.
I can get behind them moving him for an asset or two and then trying to get him back in free agency—he could be a great mentor to some of the young guys coming up—but choosing to hang onto Tanev could prove to be disastrous if he gets injured again.
Only time will tell what Craig Conroy and the rest of the management team decide to do, but the ball is in their court to make something happen, so it is time to do it.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
