Flames acquire 2021 second-round pick Artem Grushnikov along with a 2024 second-round pick and conditional third-rounder

The Calgary Flames are one more pending unrestricted free agent lighter after trading away blood-and-guts defenceman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday evening, and have added another defenceman prospect and a draft choice.

In return for Tanev, 34, the Flames receive a 2024 second-round draft pick, a conditional 2026 third-round pick and prospect Artem Grushnikov. Calgary receives the third-round pick if the Stars reach this year’s Stanley Cup Final. Calgary is retaining half of Tanev’s remaining salary.

Tanev is in the final season of a four-year, $18 million pact signed prior to the 2020-21 campaign. He collected one goal and 14 points in 56 games this season, but Tanev’s value is not based on points. A gritty, defensive defenceman who is legendary for his willingness to block shots, Tanev is a standout team-first player.

In Grushnikov, who turns 21 next month, the Flames have a left-handed defenceman drafted in the second round, 48th overall, in 2021. Grusnikov, has collected one goal, five points and 32 penalty minutes in 44 games with the AHL Texas Stars, his rookie campaign as a pro. After being drafted, he played two seasons with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, and was part of the championship team in 2022.

“Artem is a player our organization has identified, for some time now, as being a strong addition to our prospects pool,” Flames GM Craig Conroy said in a statement. “As a 20-year-old he is having a solid season in the American Hockey League. He is best described as a young defensive defenseman, 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. We have also been able to secure another second round draft pick in 2024, and the potential for a third round selection in 2026.”

This is the third in-season trade for the Flames, and the second to add a defenceman. In the deal that sent Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks acquired a pair of young blueliners in Hunter Brzustewicz, 19, and Joni Jurmo, 21, along with a first-round pick, conditional fourth-round pick and forward Andrei Kuzmenko.

The Flames are expected to make at least another trade regarding a pending UFA in defenceman Noah Hanifin before the March 8 trade deadline. Calgary has a few other defencemen who are pending UFAs in Oliver Kylington, Dennis Gilbert and Jordan Oesterle, and there has been plenty of trade chatter surrounding number-one goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who has two more years on his contract after this season.