The Calgary Flames’ final trade moves are starting to fall into place.
The team has traded warrior veteran defenseman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick in 2024, defensive prospect Artem Grushnikov, and a conditional 2026 third-round pick. The Flames also retained 50% of Tanev’s $4.5M AAV, to ensure that it would fit under the Stars’ $2.295M in LTIR cap space. The New Jersey Devils were also involved in retaining another % of his salary before sending him to the Stars, leaving Tanev with 25% of his original cap hit.
The trade comes after months of speculation as to where Tanev would be heading come the NHL Trade Deadline but after all of the guessing he ends up exactly where many expected him to go.
A perfect fit
The Stars seemed like the logical fit for Tanev all season long. The Stanley Cup contending team was looking to add a right-shot defenseman on their second pairing, and someone who added a bit of grit. Tanev fits that bill perfectly.
Dallas is already one of the better teams in the league, and with the addition of Tanev, has become even better. Not only will teams have to go through him now, but once they do they will still have to face Jake Oettinger.
For a team looking to win a Cup this season, Dallas just jumped up the odds list of favorites.
The return
The Flames had been holding out hopes of getting a first-round pick for Tanev all season long, so initially you may look at the deal and think it’s an underwhelming return. Diving in more and it’s safe to say that the Flames could have done a bit better.
The 2024 second-round pick and conditional third-round pick are chances to bring in good young players into the organization, or to acquire younger players come the summer. It’s not a first-rounder, but based on the market it sounds like teams weren’t willing to go to a first-round pick plus additional assets and a trade had to be made.
The issue is that the conditional 2026 third-round pick is only sent to the Flames if the Dallas Stars make the Stanley Cup Final. If not, there is no pick. So, you are now all Stars fans. Add in the fact that the Devils got a fourth round pick for retaining less money than the Flames did and this makes it even more confusing.
Artem Grushnikov is the wild card, he’s not as flashy as say, Logan Stankoven or Mavrik Bourque, but he’s a 2021 second-rounder who has shown some promise. Recently, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked him as the Stars’ tenth-best prospect and had this to say about him:
Grushnikov is a fascinating case study in that despite a statistical profile that virtually never translates to the NHL, he has always had some believers because of his skating, length and ability to defend. He’s got balanced posture and control in his skating, which he uses effectively gapping up. He’s an excellent backward skater. He’s got a disruptive stick and an ability to track and then close out physically (which hasn’t always been part of his game but has developed over time).
He’s got a pro build at 6-1 and a playing weight in the 190s. He has just enough poise and vision with the puck to advance play and occasionally involve himself (he started to activate more late in his junior career, and while that hasn’t continued in his rookie season in the AHL, I do think there are more opportunities for him to use his smooth skating and influence play than he realizes). He has defended well for a 20-year-old rookie in the AHL. Time will tell if his defending is high-end enough to carry him into a No. 6/7 role, but the Stars clearly have belief in him or they wouldn’t have drafted him in the second round, signed him and bypassed the ECHL for the AHL
Scott Wheeler
A hopeful sign of things to come. To get three assets for a 34-year-old pending UFA is okay, but since the conditional pick is likely to not convert and the team didn’t get anything for retaining salary it’s a bit confusing.
That being said, this is still a sad deal for the Flames as Chris Tanev was one of the best. He was a complete warrior, never backed down from any challenge or injury, and was one of the most beloved players in the locker room. We will see where things go from here, but for now, we hope that Tanev gets that elusive Stanley Cup in Dallas.
Thank you for everything you did for the C of Red, Chris.
