Months of speculation among Vancouver Canucks fans has ended with the signing of Chris Tanev by the Calgary Flames The new deal is for four years worth $18 million. It carries a salary cap hit of $4.5 million.
Chris Tanev Signs With Calgary
The veteran Canucks defenceman earned a reputation for literally putting his body on the line in his decade-long tenure. The Flames are getting a right-side defender with little offence but over a thousand blocked shots to his name. In his last season, he was frequently paired with phenom Quinn Hughes and as a result tied his career-high 20 points. Off the ice, he had taken a leadership role in welcoming young players to the team and the city. Tanev was an unsigned free agent coming out of college. In 514 career regular-season games, Tanev has recorded 118 points (22 goals and 96 assists). In 69 games this season, Tanev recorded 20 points (two goals and 18 assists). He has 10 career playoff points in 33 games, with seven of those points coming in the Canucks run to the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
What This Means For The Future
The signing leaves the Canucks with a gap on the right side of their defence. Though he had been slowing down, he was one of their most reliable defenders in reducing shots and clearing the zone. The undrafted Tanev was an excellent find for Vancouver, but the cap squeeze and money spent elsewhere priced him out of the market. He was an integral part of team chemistry as well, and that is much harder to quantify. How his expected replacement fits in – on ice and off – is a lingering question for the start of the year.
There is some risk with the signing, as Chris Tanev hadn’t played a full season in the NHL until last year. All those shot blocks take their toll, costing him over 100 games on the injury list. Clearly, the *insertnamehere* have decided his experience and calm, steady play are worth it.
Vancouver has $7.9 million in cap space remaining, and are trying to build off of last season’s strong playoff showing. This is going to be a pivotal off-season for GM Jim Benning, and how well this deal ages will go a long way to determining his future.
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