With the Calgary Flames in the middle of a four-game losing streak, and their playoff chances dwindling, the trade chatter around their pending UFAs is about to skyrocket.
Case in point, on Saturday Headlines with Elliotte Friedman, defenseman Chris Tanev’s name popped up again. This itself isn’t shocking as Tanev is bound to be one of the most coveted players for most playoff-bound teams.
What was shocking was the NHL team that was interested in his services: the Eastern Conference basement-dwelling Ottawa Senators.
You read that right.
Senator Surprise
You can watch the full segment here, with the Tanev bits coming at the end, but here is what you need to know:
“There’s one pro that came across my desk in the last 24 to 48 hours and that’s Chris Tanev of the Calgary Flames and it makes a lot of sense, a lot of sense. When you talk about pros in the NHL, Tanev is one of the top names you come up with and he makes perfect sense for a guy to be on Ottawa’s and he is. Now I don’t know what the possibilities of this are at this time, but I think Chris Tanev would prefer a playoff scenario for this year. This year the Senators are not a playoff team, we’ll see about the future, but I do think he’s one of the names on their radar.”
– Elliotte Friedman
The Senators do have their entire young core signed to long-term contracts but are in need of some veteran leadership. Tanev fits that bill perfectly and would be the ideal fit for not just Ottawa, but any team in the NHL looking for leadership.
Now from a trade perspective, this makes absolutely no sense for the Ottawa Senators. The team is nowhere near competing for a playoff spot and if anything they need to sell off whatever assets they can as they prepare for next season. Giving up anything at this point would be completely poor management.
If you are a Flames fan you have to love this development. If there is a bidding war for his services, and Ottawa is truly serious about acquiring Tanev, any draft compensation could instantly become more valuable.
Would they give up a first-round pick that could be in the lottery for a pending UFA? Absolutely not, but a Flames fan can dream. Regardless, a team that is desperate for any positive news after a tough year could be perfect for Craig Conroy and crew to act on.
A storyline to keep an eye on, but it’s crystal clear the Flames will have plenty of suitors lining up for Tanev.
