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Potential Trade Targets on Five Confirmed Bidders for Chris Tanev

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2 months ago

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Chris Tanev

Nine months and three trades into his burgeoning career as an NHL general manager, the concept of the win-win deal has quickly become a calling card for Craig Conroy of the Calgary Flames. 

The Flames were forced to move their top scorer last season in Tyler Toffoli? Conroy gambles on a return of Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third round pick.

New Jersey moves a player pushed out of the top six for a top-line, proven playoff performer carrying a cap hit of $4,250,000 for the season. Calgary uses their open lineup space to better utilize Yegor’s potential. Toffoli and Sharangovich have 38 and 37 points on the season, respectively. Win-win.

If you factor in third round pick Aydar Suniev’s 21 points in 27 games in his first NCAA season with UMass? You might even tip the scales in Conroy’s favor. 

The rookie exec’s next trade? Moving Nikita Zadorov, who requested a trade in late November, to a team that would give him the top four minutes that he so desires; the Canucks. 

The Flames ended up netting a 2026 third round pick, a 2024 fifth round pick, and enough cap space to capacitate further trades as the season progressed. Originally deployed in a top four role in Vancouver, Zadorov has once again found himself on the third pairing averaging 15:08 over seven February games.  

Trade number three? The classic haul for a first line center.

Elias Lindholm joined Zadorov in Vancouver on Jan. 31 in exchange for winger Andrei Kuzmenko, a 2024 first round pick, a conditional 2024 fourth round pick, and defence prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo.  

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin gets beaucoup center depth and a right-handed faceoff option; the Flames get an abundance of futures and a high-entertainment player in Kuzmenko on contract until the end of next season. Win-win.

With that said, what does this all have to do with today? Elliotte Friedman provided further clarity on the Chris Tanev situation on Wednesday night in his written 32 Thoughts piece. 

“With Chris Tanev, the Flames continue to hold and see if a first-rounder (or something they consider comparable) becomes available. Dallas is very much into this, although some teams suspect they like Hanifin, too. Others: Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver. Colorado’s been in and out, as have others.” 

From this, we have five confirmed teams and two questions to ask.  

What can these teams offer up that the Flames would “consider comparable” if the return isn’t a first round pick?

And

What destination is most ideal for the Flames if the return is a first round pick?  

 

Chris Tanev

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Potential Targets – Tanev Trade

 

Dallas 

Surely the easiest to begin with. Prospects Logan Stankoven, 20, and Mavrik Bourque, 22, sit first and second in AHL scoring, respectively, with the Texas Stars. We could get into whether these two should be traded for Tanev or the younger Noah Hanifin, but let’s keep it to scouting reports for today.  

Logan Stankoven  

Position: F
5’7” / 170lbs
Shoots: R
Birthdate: 2003-02-26
Birthplace: Kamloops, BC

 

The diminutive Stankoven doesn’t play a game you would expect from a player his size. A far reach from the lateral play of former Flames undersized star Johnny Gaudreau, you could attribute a more Theo Fleury-style to Logan’s game. He won’t be trying to fight the Bob Proberts of the league, but he brings a similar north-south fearlessness to his approach up the ice and into the offensive zone.  His shot has similar mechanics and a near-flawless form.  

You don’t see many 20-year-olds lead the AHL in scoring and not move on to greater things, but his size may be a concern when he inevitably starts pushing for an NHL role.  

It’s worth noting that the Flames had the opportunity to draft Stankoven in 2021 and instead went for 6’3” William Strömgren out of Sweden at pick #45. Logan went two selections later to Dallas.

 

Mavrik Bourque

Position: F
5-10 / 179lbs
Shoots: R
Birthdate: 2002-01-08
Birthplace: Plessisville, QC
 

Stankoven’s East-West counterpart, the two make a dynamic pair in the AHL.  

You get a high hockey IQ game from Bourque. He’s constantly on the lookout for a defender to bait-and-switch before he finds a passing lane to make a play.  

 

Edmonton 

You have to imagine the rivalry tax is quite a heavy ask for Conroy and the Calgary Flames. The Oilers have been the best team in the NHL since turning a corner on Nov. 11 with a 31-9-1 record. Any and all veterans sent from the archrival Flames will be highly accounted for if the Oilers go on a deep playoff run.  

Conroy is fully entitled to start the conversation with former eighth overall pick Philip Broberg and offer Logan Roy’s catchphrase if Oilers general manager Ken Holland balks. After all, the only thing worse than missing the playoffs is seeing the Oilers go on a run.

 

Philip Broberg

Position: D
6’3” / 203lbs
Shoots: L
Birthdate: 2001-06-25
Birthplace: Orebro, Sweden
 

Broberg brings an excellent combination of speed and size. If it weren’t for injury issues occuring in his D+1 season, he would likely have carved out a top four role on Edmonton’s roster. A competent play reader and puck distributor, the 22-year-old has a goal and 18 assists in 29 AHL games this season.  

 

Toronto 

Former Flames GM Brad Treliving appears all too hesitant to part with his first round pick this season. Earlier in the 2023-2024 campaign, the circulating story was that Treliving offered his first as the centerpiece of an offer for both Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev. Toronto also wanted the Flames to retain salary.  

In the words of Dr. Evil of the Austin Powers series: “Right.”  

If Brad won’t part with his first, then the top product of the Toronto Hype Factory will have to do. In this case, Saskatoon Blades forward Fraser Minten.

 

Fraser Minten 

Minten, 19, is actually a pretty fun player to watch.  

Editor’s note: There is no worse of an example when evaluating tape than watching a player tee-up a shot with absolutely zero puck pressure. Still, it’s fun to watch. Actually, why not? Let’s do one more.  

The concern in acquiring Minten is that most of his highlights are either similar to the above or a big skating play that includes blowing past a defenceman to the outside. As Jake Virtanen’s NHL toolset underlined, it’s hard to do just that alone in the NHL. 

 

Seriously, here is a hat trick of all low-pressure goals. 

 

The caveat here is that space is generally earned. Minten has a great combination of size, speed, and a lightning-fast release. His hockey IQ will make the difference once competition gets faster, stronger, and smarter.  

 

Colorado 

The likes of Calum Ritchie and Bowen Byram are simply out of the question when it comes to a Chris Tanev rental. Those players are far too rich in potential for the notion.  

The dropoff is hard after that. Undersized defenceman Mikhail Gulyayev (5’10”, 172-pounds) comes in at #3 on the prospect list, and the Flames already have non-physical offensive defencemen in the system in Hunter Brzustewicz and Jeremie Poirier.  

The fact of the matter is that the guys below Ritchie are likely not what the Flames “consider comparable” to a first round pick. Luckily, the Avalanche do have their next two actual first round picks that would suffice in a trade for Chris Tanev.  

 

Vancouver 

The Canucks are hard-pressed in this situation. We’ve already identified their top two prospects in Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Tom Willander as too expensive to even include in a Lindholm trade. They already gave the Flames this season’s first round pick and their former third-best prospect in Kitchener defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz.

Therein lies the Goldilocks win-win Conroy trade.

The Canucks could send off their 2025 first round pick for Chris Tanev and likely re-sign the 34-year-old to a hero’s return contract during the offseason. While other teams are likely only end up offering a 2024 pick at best, 2025 is widely considered the better draft and would surely get the deal done.  

The kicker? If the Canucks do well in the playoffs, an inevitable playoff hangover may have the Flames picking in the mid-10s with that pick at the next draft. Vancouver likely won’t mind, given that they would need to go deep in the playoffs for that to happen.

Everybody wins. Just how Craig Conroy likes it. 

 

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