![]() The Calgary Flames receive a second-round draft pick, a conditional third-rounder and Artem Grushnikov for trading Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars via the New Jersey Devils.
Chris Tanev is heading to the Dallas Stars with just over a week to go before the NHL trade deadline.
The Calgary Flames are trading the 34-year-old defenceman to the Stars in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, a conditional 2026 third-round pick and 20-year-old prospect defenceman Artem Grushnikov. The 2026 third-round pick only goes to the Flames if the Stars advance to the Stanley Cup final. The Flames retained 50 percent of the remainder of Chris Tanev's $4.5-million cap hit and first sent him to the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey then retained half of the remaining salary while trading him to the Stars. The Stars sent the Devils a fourth-round pick in 2026 for retaining salary, leaving Dallas with what's left on a $1.125-million cap hit. Dallas also receives the rights to unsigned goaltender Cole Brady from the Devils via the Flames. Tanev frequently appeared in trade speculation throughout the season, as he's finishing up a four-year contract. The Toronto native will be a UFA once his contract expires unless he signs an extension. Through 56 games for the Flames this season, Tanev has one goal and 13 assists for 14 points. He ranked first among Flames players in blocked shots with 171 and placed fourth among Flames blue liners in ice time per game, with 19:50. Last Friday, Taylor Newby of The Hockey News' Dallas Stars site said the team could use a right-handed defenceman, which is where Tanev fit better than left-handed Noah Hanifin, another Flames D-man featured in frequent trade speculation. “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to add a player of Chris’s calibre to our team,” Stars GM Jim Nill said in a statement. “He is a proven defenceman with post-season experience that is comfortable in all situations on the ice. Chris is one of the best penalty killers in the NHL and will be a tremendous asset to our special teams play.” Grushnikov has spent this season with the AHL's Texas Stars, recording one goal and four assists for five points. The Stars selected the Voskresensk, Russia, native in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft at No. 48 over all. "Artem is a player our organisation has identified, for some time now, as being a strong addition to our prospects pool," Flames GM Craig Conroy said in a team statement. "He is best described as a young defensive defenceman, a good penalty-killer who understands the importance of this role and plays to his identity." The Hockey News prospect expert Tony Ferrari says Grushnikov's physical brand of hockey still holds great value in the NHL, even if he hasn't developed offensively as much as hoped. He throws big hits and does so with a smile on his face. Grushnikov aggressively defends the front of his net and eliminates his opponents along the boards in puck battles. He has the potential to be a shutdown NHL defender or Chris Tanev-lite in the future, according to Ferrari. Brady, 23, is a former fifth-round pick in 2019 by the Devils. The 6-foot-5 goaltender is in his fourth year of NCAA hockey and second at the University of Massachusetts. In this season, Brady has a 4-2-2 record while posting a 3.03 goals-against average and .886 save percentage. Tanev joins a top-four defence group in Dallas, which ranks 14th in the NHL in fewest goals against per game, at 3.03, and 19th in blocks per 60 minutes, at 15. The trade comes when the Stars have only won four of their last 10 games at a 4-3-3 record and have been without right-handed defenceman Nils Lundkvist since Feb. 15 with a concussion. They still sit second in the NHL's Central Division and sixth over all with a 35-17-9 record for 79 points. The Flames, meanwhile, continue to sell veterans on expiring contracts after trading Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks for the NHL's all-star break. They sit fifth in the Pacific Division and are five points back of a wild-card spot with a 29-25-5 record. Calgary now has two first-round picks, two second-rounders and nine total draft picks in 2024. As The Hockey News' Flames site editor Randy Sportak noted, they also gained three prospect defencemen in the Tanev and Lindholm trades, with Grushnikov in this one and Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo in the move with Vancouver.
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