The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Saddledome on Tuesday, marking the first time Chris Tanev will face the Calgary Flames since his 2024 trade.
On Tuesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Scotiabank Saddledome for the first time in 2024-25, giving former Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev a chance to return to his old stomping grounds.
As an undrafted defender, Tanev made his debut with the Vancouver Canucks in 2010-11, playing there for ten seasons before the Flames signed him as a free agent on Oct. 9, 2020.
Tanev came to Calgary along with Canucks teammate Jacob Markström, who also signed as a free agent. Together, the pair skated in red for four seasons, with Tanev leaving first when the Flames dealt him to the Dallas Stars on Feb. 28, 2024.
In a three-team deal, Dallas sent a second-round pick (2024), a third-round pick (2026), and Artem Grushnikov to the Flames while sending a fourth-round pick (2026) to the New Jersey Devils. Calgary sent Tanev to the Stars, while the Devils sent Cole Brady to Dallas.
During his time with the Flames, Tanev tied a career-high with six goals in 2021-22. Additionally, with a career-high 22 assists, he finished the season with a personal best of 28 points while compiling a plus-35 in 82 games.
In 259 games, he scored ten goals, 57 assists, and 67 points. Tanev was a plus-73 and had 63 penalty minutes.
Although he wasn't brought in for his offensive contributions, Tanev brought a different element to the back end: blocking shots.
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Tanev led the Flames with 566 blocked shots from 2020 to 2024, only getting passed this season by Rasmus Andersson for the most in the past five seasons.
Statistically, the 35-year-old averaged 6.38 blocked shots per 60 minutes, the 11th-highest total for the Flames in the salary cap era. However, he ranks first for players who skated in over 200 games.
Meanwhile, his plus-73 rating ranks second in the past 20 seasons behind Mark Giordano (plus-101).
After 15 seasons in the NHL, Tanev has 34 goals, 170 assists, and 204 points in 843 games. He is playing his first season with the Maple Leafs under his former Flames general manager, Brad Treliving.
