The trade
Get Dallas Stars: Defenseman Chris Tanev, goalkeeper Cole Brady
Calgary Flames get: Defenseman Artem Grushnikov, Stars' 2024 second-round pick, 2026 conditional third-round pick.
New Jersey Devils get: The Stars' 2026 fourth-round pick because they'll keep 50 percent of Tanev's salary.
Sean Gentille: Generally speaking, this didn't sound like a bad deal for the Flames. At least not at first. Tips and a view? Secure. That's the general price for a guy like Chris Tanev – accomplished, battle-tested, right-handed, older but not quite old, and an impending UFA. This brings you something beautiful, if not something great.
However, with each piece of information, the deal got a little worse for Calgary. The best pick goes in the second round? OK. The interested party is not Logan Stankoven or Mavrik Bourque. Hmmm. I like it less. The Flames keep 50 percent of Tanev's salary? Now we're in “definite winner, definite loser” territory.
It's not a disaster for Flames GM Craig Conroy. However, it is certainly a disappointment. Not only is Tanev still good; For all the reasons we've listed before, he's the type of player prospect that gets big eyes on him. The fact that Conroy had to add a candy and still couldn't get a first-rounder or a better prospect is bizarre. Artem Grushnikov was ranked 10th in Scott Wheeler's Stars Prospect rankings earlier this month and Corey Pronman's Preseason Has a Chance rankings. He's tall and a good skater, Pronman says, with a limited offensive game.
Tanev's injury history is long and the teams that could have used him the most – like Vancouver and Toronto – probably weren't Conroy's preferred dance partners. All of this must be taken into account. But accepting what appears to be the bare minimum for a premium asset nine days before the deadline feels like a rookie mistake.
It's all love on the Stars page. With almost no room to fill a glaring hole on the right side of his defense, GM Jim Nill turned that into the best option on the market. Incorporating an Eastern Conference team was an added layer of creativity. If Tanev's shoulder holds up, he will give them the perfect opportunity to play behind Miro Heiskanen. Tanev is an outstanding defenseman who thrives on puck recoveries and playing important minutes. Whether he took a step back offensively or not is almost irrelevant; The stars get plenty of that elsewhere. They're preparing for a Stanley Cup run, and they're doing it the right way: with an OGWAC that can actually play.
Star class: A+
Flame class😀
Shayna Goldman: This is an absolute slam dunk win for the Stars. Dallas had a clear need at the start of the deadline: a steady, right-handed defenseman. That was before Nils Lundkvist's injury. This was the only area where the team fell short when measured on the Stanley Cup checklist; Now with Tanev, he's the team's No. 3 guy, moving the rest of the blue line into more appropriate roles behind him.
With Thomas Harley on the top pair, the Stars' defense is reasonably top-loaded. So this addition changes that, whether he gets behind that pair and forms a shutdown pair with Esa Lindell on the second, or ends up running alongside Harley or Miro Heiskanen for a more balanced approach. In any case, it will allow the stars to better protect their bottom pair.
Tanev's offense has trended down this year, but he's not completely one-dimensional. Although he plays a traditional shutdown style, he also manages to retrieve pucks and get them out of his own zone in a controlled manner, which should help eliminate the Stars' breakouts. His playing style carries some risk of injury and will likely impact the further development of his game. Therefore, the fact that the Stars brought him in without any future commitment is a plus.
The slightly proactive approach also benefits the stars. Having him for potentially four additional games instead of waiting until the deadline should help in the race for the top spot in the Central.
On the other hand, this is a real disappointment for Calgary. There was no decision on deadline day and the Flames had to settle because there were no better options. There is still more than a week until the deadline, which should have been plenty of time for Calgary to up the ante. There's been a lot of interest in Tanev across the league – so how can this be the best return for the Flames, especially with a 50% salary retention? There are interesting elements to Artem Grushnikov's game, but Calgary should have looked for someone with more security and upside without a first-round pick in the return game. The only win for the Flames is that management realizes what needs to be done and doesn't risk letting the UFAs run for nothing just to make one more run.
Star rating: A
Flame level: D
(Photo: Sergei Belski / USA Today)