The Calgary Flames are officially sellers and the deals have just started.
With tonight’s blockbuster trade of Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Flames have signalled they are ready for business.
The question then becomes who is next? The odds are that it’s defenceman Chris Tanev.
Many believed that the teams were trying to include Tanev in the monster deal, but thanks to Rick Dhaliwal we know why and it should be music to Flames fan’s ears.
High price for Chris Tanev
After the deal went down, Dhaliwal posted the following recap video to Twitter:
Dhaliwal is one of the premier sources when it comes to Canucks news, so his reporting does not need a grain of salt. It’s clear the market sees the value for Chris Tanev and the Flames see that value clearly to be asking for a first-round pick.
Asset management coming into play
There is no doubt the team would like to keep Tanev, but you cannot keep a pending UFA that is potentially going to net you another first-round pick. Even if the pick is slated for 2025 (if the Canucks had traded for him), or later in the first round it’s still an incredible asset to add to the books.
Also just think if the Flames were able to use one of the extra firsts to package and move up in the draft to select a certain Iginla I’m certain everyone would approve of moving Tanev.
The deadline is still over a month away, so that price could rise for the team should they want to wait it out a bit more. Surely, it’s a story to keep a close eye on.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
