Chris Tanev has played an instrumental role in the Dallas Stars reaching the Western Conference Final — but, from the sounds of it, he could’ve been an Edmonton Oiler ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
On February 28, the Stars acquired Tanev from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, a conditional 2026 third-round pick, and defence prospect Artem Grushnikov. The Flames will receive the third-round pick if the Stars advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
It was a little surprising to see the Flames move Tanev without getting a first-round pick back, but as Stars television analyst Daryl Reaugh said on the latest edition of the team’s official podcast, Tanev’s own desires played a role in determining where he was dealt.
“Only good things seem to transpire when he’s on the ice,” Reaugh said. “They defend, then get the puck, and then [it’s] gone. Nothing bad seems to happen when he’s out there — very little, anyway. It’s going to be fascinating going forward.
“I think it was out there, right, the reporting when the trade deadline was approaching, he chose Dallas over Edmonton,” Reaugh added. “The Oilers wanted him bad. And he chose Dallas. And now the two squads are going to face off, which is fantastic. He was worth everything they gave up to get him.”
Tanev had a certain level of contractual control over where he was moved. The 34-year-old defenceman had the ability to submit a list of 10 teams to which he would not accept a trade, and it’s possible that the Oilers were on that list.
The Flames also had an incentive to work with Tanev to gauge his interest in going to certain teams, even beyond the terms of his no-trade clause. Tanev remains a popular figure in Calgary and was a player the Flames seemed intent on doing right by, even if it meant not necessarily getting the strongest return.
Regardless, it’s widely believed that the Oilers offered the Flames a future first-round pick in a prospective deal for Tanev, but with a caveat: Calgary would have to take back Cody Ceci, who is signed through next season at a $3.25 million cap hit.
It’s unclear to what extent the Oilers really wanted to move Ceci, and he wouldn’t have done anything for the Flames, who missed the playoffs by a significant margin this year. The Flames still have the flexibility to take on a cap dump for additional assets, something they may not have been able to do as easily with Ceci on the books.
Even without Tanev, the Oilers have made it to the Western Conference Final for the second time in three seasons. Their next task will be to get past Tanev and the Stars, who quickly surpassed the last two Stanley Cup champions to reach this point.
Game 1 between the Oilers and Stars is slated for Thursday night in Dallas at 6:30 p.m. MT.
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