Seravalli: The Oilers kept tabs on Flames defender Chris Tanev before trade to Dallas

The NHL trade deadline is approaching quickly despite the lack of trade activity around the league. After what happened over the NHL All-Star break, with Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm getting moved within hours of each other, it looked like the floodgates may open during trade season.

“I talked to three general managers today, and all of them said we are making a ton of calls, but we’re not getting anything done,” continued Frank Seravalli on the slow trade market. “A lot of it is checking market prices and a lot of it trying to make something happen with very little assets. The other part is, outside of five players, the big question is how big of an impact can some of these players have on a team’s chances to win the Stanley Cup? It’s not always the biggest name that leads you to Lord Stanley. However, there are still many teams that are really uncertain about the market.”

That trade has yet to happen, and for the Edmonton Oilers, it feels like their shopping list continues to grow. Despite the ever-growing list of wants, the one need that has stayed constant for Edmonton is an upgrade on the blue line. Many names, including Sean Walker and Alexandre Carrier, have been thrown around, but the one everybody wanted to see in a Copper and Blue uniform is Chris Tanev, despite him having been traded to the Dallas Stars Wednesday evening.

Tanev is a 34-year-old right-shot defenceman with a cap hit of $4,500,000. He’s an upcoming unrestricted free agent who sits second on Frank Seravalli’s trade targets list. On Oilersnation Everyday, Frank suggested that conversations between Edmonton and Calgary continued despite the increased interest from around the NHL for his services.

“He doesn’t as seem as top of mind for the Oilers,” said Frank Seravalli on the Oilers’ interest in Chris Tanev. “I’ll tell you that they have still kept tabs on what the cost is because they’re also monitoring the market for him, too. They want to understand that if Chris Tanev is going for a X then is this a price we’d be willing to pay and could we just get him for ourselves?”

In previous appearances on Oilersnation Everyday, Frank Seravalli has mentioned that the price for Tanev was a second-round pick plus an affordable price tag for Edmonton. Dallas ended up acquiring him for a 2nd round pick, a conditional third, and a prospect.

It won’t Tanev coming to Edmonton, so now the Oilers will continue to be in the market for a defenceman. Tanev was the cream of the crop with his experience and warrior-like mentalities, but an addition lower down the depth chart is also needed. The trade deadline is on March 8th, and Oilers fans should more than likely expect a new face to join the group.

Here’s to hoping they go big fish hunting.