EDMONTON — With due respect to Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, Saturday was one of those rare nights when it was worth focusing attention on another player.
Calgary Flames defenceman Chris Tanev is one of the most coveted players ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. Per colleague Chris Johnston in his latest trade board, “more than 10 teams” have shown interest in the 34-year-old pending unrestricted free agent. The asking price is a second-round pick, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun wrote. But the Flames could also be holding out for a first-round draft choice if they can get it.
One squad that has emerged as a possibility — and has the assets the Flames are looking for — is the Oilers, the Flames’ provincial rival who need defensive help in their quest for the Stanley Cup. The idea of Tanev travelling up north could be bittersweet in some ways for Flames fans, and for his teammates who know his worth. The Oilers and Flames have made just three trades with each other — and a deal involving Tanev would be most impactful.
Tanev’s veteran savvy, his “calming” presence — according to teammate Rasmus Andersson — his toughness, and even his recent durability have propped him up as an ideal addition ahead of the deadline.
Saturday against the Oilers, Tanev showed why he’s regarded as one of the best defensive defencemen in the NHL in a 6-3 Calgary win. Tanev played 21:03 with a plus-3 rating. He had a much quieter night than his partner, Noah Hanifin, who scored twice and added an assist. But Hanifin said Tanev makes things easier for him on the ice thanks to his defensive abilities and kickstarting breakouts.
“He does all the little things so well,” Hanifin said. “Everybody talks about what a warrior he is and he plays such hard minutes. But he also makes a lot of really good plays on the ice, too. He’s super poised when he’s under pressure in the D zone.
“He’s been a pleasure to play with since he’s been in Calgary.”
“He’s always taking care of the defensive side of the puck,” Andersson said. “In my opinion, I can’t really think of a better defensive defenceman in the league. We’re lucky to have him on our team.”
Tanev’s subtle effect on the game paid dividends for the Flames against the Oilers. Playing without last change, the Flames got Tanev out regularly against either McDavid or Leon Draisaitl at five-on-five. The two players combined for three points in the loss but didn’t create nearly as much offence as they normally would at their best.
Late in the first period, Tanev made a textbook shot block on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins shot while the Oilers were on a power play, resulting in an easy zone clear for the Flames.
Early in the second, there were two straight times when Tanev ended an Oilers offensive zone possession by being in the right place at the right time. First, he positioned himself right behind the net to cut off a pass. On the next one, he emerged from a jam in the offensive zone to get to the puck first before redirecting to a teammate.
“He’s just so smart,” said Oilers winger Zach Hyman, an offseason training partner. “He just reads the game so well. He’s played against top players almost his whole career. He’s got all the tools. He can skate. He can make plays. But the way he thinks the game makes him a great defender.
“He uses his stick and body positioning to his advantage. He’s not a physical defender in the sense that he’s going to put you through the glass, but he’ll have a great stick. It seems like he’s always in the right spot.”
Another quality that has endeared Tanev to teammates is his willingness to play through pain.
Tanev has played through pain many times throughout his career, leaving teammates bewildered at his ability to endure.
The defenceman missed four games during the 2022 playoffs with a dislocated shoulder but returned in the Flames’ second-round series against the Oilers. His early absence in that series and inability to play at full health helped swing the matchup in Edmonton’s favour.
Andersson has seen it happen more than most in the Flames’ dressing room. He still can’t believe what Tanev played through.
“How the f— is he still playing?” Andersson said. “And then you think to yourself, it’s Chris, he’ll play through anything. That’s the player he is.”
Off the ice, he’s proved to be just as popular with his teammates thanks to a similar demeanour.
“He’s the kind of guy that you say can be quiet, but some days he comes in and talks. He’s a funny character,” Jonathan Huberdeau said. “He’s the kind of guy you want to play for. He’s such a good teammate and such a good leader in the locker room.”
“Everybody sees the pictures of his smile with one tooth,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said. “If you were to paint the picture of what he is off the ice, he’s very similar. He’s not the most vocal guy. But he is a guy everybody wants to be around.”
Tanev’s presence, once he’s traded, is one the Flames would miss. He’s also the exact type of player the Oilers could use, especially since they dropped to 4-5-1 since their 16-game winning streak ended and have allowed at least three goals in each of those contests.
Cody Ceci has been a workhorse for the Oilers since he signed with the team in the 2021 offseason to be a replacement for Adam Larsson, who bolted for Seattle as a free agent. Ceci was their most consistent and dependable blueliner when the Oilers reached the 2022 Western Conference finals.
But aside from getting another scoring winger, Ceci’s spot next to Darnell Nurse in the top four is a key area that could be upgraded. The Nurse-Ceci pair was one of many troublesome areas for the Oilers in Saturday’s game. They were outscored 2-0 at five-on-five before being broken up in the third period.
Tanev fits the bill as an upgrade, and the Oilers are believed to be interested.
The Oilers would likely have to move on from Ceci for salary-cap reasons to acquire Tanev, a $4.5 million player. Ceci has another season left on his contract with a $3.25 million cap hit. That extra year of team control could be of value to the Flames, who’ve already dealt Nikita Zadorov and are shopping fellow defenceman Noah Hanifin.
But the Oilers would need to offer more.
They’ll have to relinquish a young player, and their top two in that regard are defenceman Philip Broberg, in AHL Bakersfield but out with a short-term injury, and forward Dylan Holloway, who grew up just outside of Calgary in Bragg Creek. Oilers brass would prefer not to deal either player, so they’ll have to try to bargain the Flames down to a lesser prospect.
If the Flames are indeed holding out for a first-round pick, that asset is very much in play for the Oilers. It just depends if they use it on Tanev or someone else. If the Flames can also acquire a body that can help on their blue line or a prospect to bolster their ranks, it will likely be good business for Flames GM Craig Conroy.
You can bet that the Oilers will make every attempt to extend or re-sign Tanev if he’s acquired. Vincent Desharnais is a pending UFA, leaving Evan Bouchard as the only right-shot defenceman under contract for next season — providing Ceci is on the outs. There is no one in the organization ready to assume a regular job in that role unless the lefty Broberg is retained and plays his off side.
But the Oilers are in win-now mode, desperate to get over the hump in the playoffs with McDavid and Draisaitl in their primes and nearing the end of their respective contracts. Tanev could be a missing piece, particularly given the defensive woes they’ve exhibited since the All-Star break.
All that remains to be seen is if they’ll outbid all those other teams vying for his services — and if the Flames will trade him to them even if they do.
(Top photo: Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images)
