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By Pierre LeBrun, Chris Johnston, Saad Yousuf and Julian McKenzie
The Calgary Flames have traded veteran defenseman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars for a 2024 second-round pick, a conditional 2026 third-round pick and prospect Artem Grushnikov, the teams announced. The Flames keep 50 percent of Tanev’s salary and cap hit. Calgary only receives Dallas’ 2026 third-round pick if the Stars advance to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. If that doesn’t happen, no conditional picks will carry over.
The Stars also sent their 2026 fourth-round pick to the New Jersey Devils. The Devils retained 50 percent of Tanev’s salary in 2023-24.
Tanev was in demand as an effective closing defender and is the number 2 player in The AthleticThe last business meeting.
All-Star GM Jim Nill has made some shrewd deals over the years, but this one has the potential to be at the top of the list. It wasn’t difficult for anyone in the NHL to realize that the Stars had a dire situation on the blue line, especially exposed by the recent injuries to Jani Hakanpää and Nils Lundkvist. That should have given teams leverage and attempted to take out one of the top three All-Star prospects: Logan Stankoven (recently promoted to the NHL), Mavrik Bourque and Lian Bichsel.
The Stars have steadfastly maintained that none of those three prospects were on the table in trade discussions, especially for a rental. For Nill, getting one of the best right-shooting defensemen on the market without giving up a top prospect or a first-round pick is an instant win. Getting a 50 percent salary hold with how tight the Stars are against the salary cap makes it even sweeter for Dallas, who can retain their existing blueline group for added depth.
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The Flames will miss Tanev with this trade. At 34 years old, Tanev proved to be a reliable defensive defender and allowed Noah Hanifin to show off his offensive skills. His easy-going but fun personality in the Flames locker room endeared him to many teammates. With his pending UFA status up in the air and a restructuring on the horizon, Tanev had to be traded before last week’s deadline. One could argue that if the Flames had waited longer, Tanev’s return might have been different. But what if he got hurt?
Tanev’s style of play likely played a role in why this trade happened now and not next week. Tanev has no problem sacrificing his body for the good of the team and will play with anything. While the risk of injury exists for any player, and Tanev has proven to be mostly durable during his Flames tenure, Tanev’s style of play was of more concern than most.
The addition of Tanev instantly gives the Stars lineup options for combinations. They can opt to put Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley together at the top, a pairing that has been incredibly productive for the Stars. They could also explore pairing one of those natural lefties with Tanev and pairing the other with another player to elevate a second pairing. Dallas coach Pete DeBoer will have options to explore heading into the postseason.
With no GM handing over a first-round pick for Tanev, this seemed like the best move Flames GM Craig Conroy could make. The Flames get a second-round pick in this year’s draft, giving them four picks in the first two rounds. The Flames will also get a conditional third seed in 2026, but only if the Stars advance to the Stanley Cup Final this year, and a project prospect in 20-year-old Grushnikov.
What’s also fascinating is the Flames’ withholding of salary on Tanev, not something that typically happens with this franchise in their history via trades. But the Flames may have felt more comfortable doing so with an expiring contract compared to one with more terms.
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At first glance, it’s a modest return considering expectations. Unless Grushnikov excels at the AHL level and emerges over the next few years, the prize of this deal is the 2024 second round pick.
Tanev signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks in May 2010 and spent 10 seasons with the Canucks before signing a four-year, $18 million contract with the Flames in 2020.
Tanev scored 14 points with the Flames this season. He has one goal and 13 assists in 56 games played in 2023-24.
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(Photo: Sergei Belski / USA Today)