According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Senators are interested in the Calgary Flames’ Chris Tanev.
Speaking to Ron MacLean during Saturday night’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Friedman outlined the story as part of the second intermission’s ‘Headlines’ segment.
“There’s one pro whose name came across my desk in the last 24 to 48 hours and that’s Chris Tanev of the Calgary Flames. And, it makes a lot of sense. A lot of sense. Like, when you talk about pros in the NHL, Tanev is one of the top names you’d come up with. It makes perfect sense for the guy to be on Ottawa’s radar and he is. Now, I don’t know what the possibilities of this are at this time. I think Chris Tanev would probably prefer a playoff scenario this year. For this year, the Senators are not a playoff team. We’ll see about the future, but I do think he’s one of the names on their radar.” ~ Elliotte Friedman on HNIC’s ‘Headlines’
For several reasons, Tanev is a right-shot defenceman who would interest the Senators.
During general manager Steve Staios’ midseason media availability, he reiterated the desire to add experience to the roster.
"Am I open for business? I've had some good discussions with lots of teams. I wouldn't be doing my job if I wasn't looking for all opportunities to make this team successful (in the) short term and long term. I think the long-term vision is extremely important to keep an eye on here with our group. I think that you can't have enough leadership and experience. I think that's certainly an area that I'd like to look at. Also, the fact that we're looking at complete players as well -- 200-foot players. I think those are the types of things we're looking at. Now, if there's an opportunity, the market will dictate (that). There may be an opportunity here at the (trade) deadline, but if not, we'll continue to work on it. Maybe there will be an opportunity in the offseason."
As a 34-year-old veteran, Tanev’s experience would be a welcomed addition to the right side. Whenever the Senators have tried to add veteran character in the past, it often came with the caveat that the players weren’t exactly… well, who the hell am I kidding? They weren’t good. They weren’t very good at all. (Read: Claude Giroux was the ridiculously talented local boy who wanted to return home unicorn.)
Tanev is in the declining stages of his career, but he represents a useful player.
As a natural right-shot defenceman, Tanev would be an immediate upgrade on Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic. Which, admittedly, doesn’t sound that impressive when I phrase it like that. But, he is very, very, very good.
Tanev has historically been an excellent defensive defenceman who has put up some tremendous underlying numbers this season.
According to HockeyViz, his isolated impacts have been incredible.
It is just a sea of blue in the defensive zone indicating his contributions to suppressing the opposition’s shots and chances.
A quick look at his history shows just how impressive and understated his career has been.
Tanev is an impending unrestricted free agent and has a contract that carries an average annual value of $4.5 million. If the Senators were to acquire him, they would have to clear out space. As it stands, the team is currently pressed up against the cap ceiling with $12,836 of cap space per CapFriendly.
As a relatively inexpensive and effective defencemen, there will be no shortage of suitors — especially if the Flames agree to pick up part of Tanev’s salary to improve the return for the rental. With a strong market, the Flames should be able to maximize the return — which puts Ottawa in a more difficult spot as a team outside of the playoff picture.
They simply cannot afford to send a significant opportunity cost to the Flames without any assurances. For a Tanev trade to even begin to make sense, there needs to be a contract extension in place for the Senators to even consider moving a valuable combination of draft picks and prospects. Even then, it is a difficult sell to believe that a non-playoff team should continue to hemorrhage more future assets for an aging defenceman whose play could potentially fall off. In saying that however, when contrasted with offensive production, defensive performance tends to deteriorate at a much slower pace as a player ages.
There is also the wrinkle of Tanev possessing a modified no-trade clause that protects him from being dealt to 10 teams on his list without permission. Given the off-ice drama that has plagued the Senators for the last 15 years, they may ultimately be on his list. However, if the Senators are on that list, it could give Tanev even more negotiation leverage if he’d agree to waive his no-trade clause to maximize the value of an extension.
Between the money and the opportunity cost used to acquire him, Tanev could be expensive. On the surface, it may make more sense to wait until the offseason when he is a free agent to kick tires and meet his contract demands. In saying that however, perhaps the Senators believe that the opportunity to acquire Tanev now could give the team an extended window to showcase what this city and organization has to offer. If they believe it would give them an advantage in a highly competitive free agent landscape, maybe that is a gamble they are comfortable making.
Their interest in Tanev could also shed light on the Jakob Chychrun rumours and their roster management. If the Senators are willing to bring Tanev in, it would probably be done with the intent of balancing the handedness of the two top pairings.
Through the early stretches of the season, the coaching staff has routinely asked one of its well-regarded left defencemen to play their off-side. When asked about the Chychrun rumours at his aforementioned recent media availability, Staios did not downplay the rumours. He simply expressed disappointment that his name had appeared in the public realm.
If the Senators have this philosophical belief that they need better-balanced pairings, maybe management is also examining every possibility — including maximizing the return on Jakob Chychrun at this year’s deadline. If they did that, maybe the assets they would acquire in such a deal would make them more comfortable pulling the trigger on a Tanev trade.
Pulling the trigger on Tanev now probably is not the kind of deal I’d make right now given their position in the standings. And, I don’t even know how much stock to place in the rumours given how tight-lipped this franchise has been with their front office dealings. Between Jacques Martin's hiring as a senior advisor to the coaching staff and Dave Poulin’s appointment as the senior vice president of hockey operations, this group represents a departure from the previous regime. Information is not being traded or leaked to reporters to create or control a narrative or be exchanged for positive coverage.
There is a good chance that this player is just one of many that the Senators have shortlisted as desirable targets for their near future. If that is the extent of it, it represents an innocuous but encouraging piece of news.
The Senators have struggled to insulate this young core with competent and efficient veteran players. If management finally has a willingness and the means and ability to marry the assessments of its pro scouts with analytic data to make more informed decisions, it is a welcomed departure from the past. (In one of his recent availabilities, Staios portrayed his predecessor as an autocratic general manager who failed to delegate efficiently or rely on the opinions and analysis of his staff.)
What a low bar to clear.
No way I'd rather have Tanev than Chykrun if that's the overview. The next 5 years should be the latter's best barring injury. He has upside compared to Chabot in my opinion. I realize the QC fans are a factor, though.