Stars GM Jim Nill crossed off the biggest and perhaps only item on his trade deadline to-do list, acquiring right-shot defenseman Chris Tanev in a Wednesday night blockbuster with Calgary. The trade also included New Jersey tagging along as a third wheel. In return for Tanev, a veteran of 14 NHL seasons, and G Cole Brady, Dallas shipped its 2024 second-round choice, a conditional third-round pick in 2026, as well as defense prospect Artem Grushnikov to the Flames, with Calgary also retaining 50% of Tanev’s cap charge. And in exchange for absorbing 25% of Tanev’s cap hit and parting with Brady, the Devils added Dallas’ 2026 fourth-round pick.
With the two layers of retention in place, the Stars are responsible for just $1.125M of Tanev’s $4.5M cap hit for 2024. The deal now leaves Jim Nill a little more than $2M in deadline space, according to Cap Friendly, in the event he has another deal up his sleeve. It may not sound like much, but if Nill were to craft another trade with multiple partners retaining the maximum allowed under the CBA, the Stars could theoretically still acquire a player with a cap charge in the neighborhood of $8M annually without having to move out any salary.
How Tanev Fits
Tanev provides the Stars with another much-needed, natural right-side defender, joining Nils Lundkvist and Jani Hakanpaa. Though both Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley can play on the right, they are left-hand shots who would then be playing on the off side. It is expected Tanev will immediately slide into the club’s top-four and give head coach Peter DeBoer some added options in how he chooses to deploy his defense. On one hand it makes sense to slot the shutdown defender next to the Norris Trophy caliber Heiskanen, or the more offensively inclined Harley.
It’s also plausible DeBoer pairs Tanev with Esa Lindell to form a more traditional shutdown pair to use against an opponent’s top offensive players, particularly in key situations. This would allow Heiskanen and Harley to remain together, where the duo has excelled. According to Money Puck, of all pairings with at least 200 minutes together, Heiskanen-Harley ranks second in the league in expected goals percentage. Any way you look at it, the Stars defense is better and deeper than before the trade.
Here is what Nill said about his new acquisition: “He’s a warrior. When you get into the playoffs, you need those types of players. … We’ve got a good team. We’ve got to go out and do it now. We have as good a chance as anyone.”
What I Like About the Trade for Dallas
- The Stars kept their best prospects. Logan Stankoven, who debuted with Dallas this week and performed well, and Mavrik Bourque would certainly have been of interest to any potential trade partner, presumably including Calgary. But in the end, Nill got his #1 target without having to give up either of his prized top prospects.
- Dallas retained its first-round choice in 2024. Typically, among the most cherished assets a deadline buyer has at its disposal, the Stars constructed a package appealing enough to the Flames that they didn’t have to part with their top selection in the upcoming draft. Nill can now exercise the pick to add another talented young player to the club’s prospect pool, or he can use it as a valuable chip in another deal, either at the deadline or ahead of the draft.
- The deal was consummated more than a week before the deadline. Changing teams this late in the campaign isn’t easy. A player has a short period of time to adapt to a new city, new coaches and teammates, and a new system, all while leaving behind one’s family for the next few months. Even one extra week gives Tanev a better shot of developing chemistry with his new teammates and picking up on the nuances of how DeBoer prefers his players to play. One of the reasons trade deadline additions are so hit-and-miss is the challenge of simply fitting in with so little time remaining in the season.
Reviewing the Return for Calgary
The second-round pick obviously has value. But the reality is, only about one in three players drafted in round two turn into competent NHL regulars. And about 10% develop into All-Star-level contributors. The odds of “hitting” on this pick aren’t particularly high.
To be fair, historically, a second and a prospect has typically been the going rate for a quality NHL defenseman at the deadline. But with so few options known to be on the market, and with so many teams on the prowl for blue liners, not getting a first raises the question of whether Flames GM Craig Conroy should have played his hand out until the end.
We may never know for sure what other offers Conroy had in his hip pocket, but Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic believes at least one team (subscription required), possibly either Edmonton or Colorado, had floated their first-rounder in a potential trade package for Tanev. Although Lebrun added the pick came with the caveat Calgary would have to take back a contract with term remaining. He posited Edmonton may have offered their first had the Flames been willing to take back Cody Ceci, who has one more year on a deal at $3.25M. Colorado, according to what Lebrun has heard, may have insisted on pairing the $4M remaining on Ryan Johansen’s deal in 2024-25 with their first in an offer for Tanev.
If the choice for Conroy was to take back a contract with term to ensure he would get a first-round pick for Tanev, or accept an offer headlined by a two instead, it makes sense he chose the latter option.
The third-round pick is practically a non-factor as the condition on it is that it only transfers if Dallas makes it to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Plus, the choice is two years out. The rule of thumb in the NFL, for example, has been that a draft pick loses the equivalent of one round of value for every year out it is. Using that quick math, the 2026 third is equal to a 2024 fifth. And I don’t think Dallas would care much if the conditions of this pick were met.
Lastly, the Flames picked up a defense prospect, Artem Grushnikov, whom Dallas selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft, 48th overall and just one pick after Logan Stankoven went off the board. I haven’t spent much time watching Grushnikov in action, but the consensus among those that do is that he possesses an enticing blend of skills for a defenseman, though his statistical profile is cause for concern.
Prospect evaluator Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, recently ranked the Stars prospect pool (subscription required) 21st in the NHL placing Grushnikov 10th among all Dallas prospects and the fifth best defenseman in the system. He considers Grushnikov a “fascinating case study in that despite a statistical profile that virtually never translates to the NHL, he has always had some believers because of his skating length and ability to defend.”
In a statement regarding the deal, Conroy had this to say about the 20-year-old prospect:
“Artem is a player our organization has identified, for some time now, as being a strong addition to our prospects pool. As a 20-year-old, he is having a solid season in the American Hockey League. 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. We are excited to acquire a player with Artem’s qualities and look forward to his contributions to the Flames’ success for a long time.”
Stars GM Jim Nill added: “He was a guy I didn’t really want to move. They did their homework,” Nill said. “Chris Tanev 14 years ago is maybe Artem Grushnikov. That’s the type of guy he is.”
In the end, all that matters is how much Calgary valued Grushnikov. The Russian blue-liner is the third defense prospect acquired by the Flames in the weeks leading up to the deadline, joining Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, both of whom came over in the Elias Lindholm deal with Vancouver. It appears Conroy has prioritized adding defensemen to the club’s pool of prospects and has done so with players who bring diverse skill sets.
It will take years to fairly evaluate how this trade works out, both for Dallas and Calgary. At first blush, I liked the deal for both sides until realizing the conditions attached to the 2026 third-round pick would make it unlikely to even transfer to the Flames, taking into account the cap retention. Without retention, Dallas would not have had the room to take on Tanev’s deal. Now, not only do they have Tanev, but they’re left with enough space to creatively craft another deal, if they choose to.
Also, there is the What If, as in what if Conroy had waited until closer to deadline day. Would they have been able to leverage a better draft pick from a team growing more desperate as the clock ticked down to zero?
In the end, Dallas got the player they wanted while preserving their best assets in the process. Calgary moved an expiring asset for futures they valued. Nill has done his job rewarding the Stars’ strong play by adding needed reinforcements. The Stars appear to have the talent and now the depth to make a deep run in the postseason. Now, it’s up to them to go and do it.
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Who Missed Out and What’s Next For Them
In addition to Colorado and Edmonton actively pursuing Tanev, Lebrun also listed Vancouver and Toronto as additional suitors. Toronto has always made a ton of sense. They’ve been in the market for a right side defenseman and their GM, Brad Treliving, held the same position in Calgary when the Flames signed Tanev. The connection was obvious, but evidently, the Leafs weren’t willing to top the offer from Dallas.
Instead, Treliving pivoted to Ilya Lybushkin, whom he acquired from Anaheim as part of a three-team deal also involving Carolina. Toronto shipped its third-round choice in 2025 to the Ducks and their 2024 sixth-rounder to Carolina. The Hurricanes dealt young F Kirill Slepets to Toronto. Anaheim retained 50% of Lybushkin’s salary, with Carolina taking on 50% of the remainder.
Of the other clubs purportedly in on Tanev, Colorado stands out as a surprise. Anchored by one of the best in the world, Cale Makar, and joined by the likes of Devon Toews, Josh Manson, Sam Girard and Bowen Byram, the blue line certainly doesn’t feel like an area of need for the Avalanche. In fact, they would seem to need a second-line center far more than another defenseman. Yet, according to Lebrun, the Avalanche were engaged with Calgary at least at some level. They say you can never have enough defensive depth, and it’s possible that as part of their offer, Colorado may have been willing to include a defenseman.
Logan Stankoven
Stankoven finally got the call last week he’d been waiting so long to hear. With Evgenii Dadonov suffering a lower-body injury likely to keep him out of the Stars lineup for a while, the club called up their top prospect from the AHL. In four games, Stankoven netted three goals and added an assist for four points. He meshed well with center Wyatt Johnston and more than held his own in all situations. Despite underwhelming size, Stankoven has been effective along the boards and on the forecheck. For his part, Johnston has recorded four points with the rookie on his wing and with Jamie Benn on the other side, the line has an expected goal percentage of 63.4% in just under 41 minutes of ice time.
If the first four games are any indication, the Stars have less of a need to add a forward at the deadline, even if Dadonov is out of action into the postseason. After loaning Stankoven back to Texas in what we can assume was a procedural move to bank a little extra cap space, the Stars announced this morning that they have recalled their prized rookie in time for tonight’s contest against San Jose.
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