Like the other in-season swaps, the deal that sent Chris Tanev to Dallas Stars is all about the long-term future
Like the other in-season swaps, the deal that sent Chris Tanev to Dallas Stars is all about the long-term future
Remember all the hue and cry when Calgary Flames president of hockey operations Don Maloney went on TV during the intermission of their clash with the Chicago Blackhawks in early January and did not flat-out say the team was going to be selling off its pending unrestricted free agents?
Remember the reaction from segments of the fan base and media? It was something along the lines of “The Flames are not willing to let us know what direction they’re taking!”
Is there any doubt today? It was obvious then Maloney was saying what he had to during the interview and is obvious now what the plan was all along. The Flames, despite being just outside a playoff position, are doing the right thing for the future of the organization and selling. Considering how Maloney said last summer he is not allowed to use the word "rebuild" this sure looks like a legitimate rebuild and not an on-the-fly re-tool.
It is not the easy route to take with the club on a four-game winning streak, five points outside both wild-card spots with 23 games remaining on the schedule. All too often, this organization would hold out hope for a late-season run and miss the playoffs. Instead, GM Craig Conroy has taken the most prudent approach while his team is playing its best hockey of the season.
Trading defenceman Chris Tanev on Wednesday for a prospect in the minors (Artem Grushnikov), along with a second-round pick and conditional third-round selection is a deal looking well into the future. It was the same with the first in-season swap of the campaign, which sent defenceman Nikita Zadorov to the Vancouver Canucks for a pair of draft picks. Frankly, the only difference in the trade that sent Elias Lindholm to the Canucks during the all-star break was that it included Andrei Kuzmenko. Otherwise, that deal is all about future seasons, with a pair of defencemen prospects, including junior star Hunter Bruzustewicz, as well as a first-round pick and conditional fourth-rounder (which could become a third-round selection) the haul.
Expect more of the same with a deal involving Noah Hanifin sent elsewhere before the March 8 trade deadline. After that, who knows what other dominoes will fall? Calgary has a few other pending UFA defencemen in Oliver Kylington, Jordan Oesterle and Dennis Gilbert. Plus, there has been too much talk about number-one goaltender Jacob Markstrom for it not to be a possibility he will be on the move if the right offer comes along.
The Flames are taking a road less travelled, and the long-term fate of the organization will be better off for those efforts.
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