Lightning Miss Out on Top Trade Target
This Lightning trade target has found a new home, but it is not in Tampa Bay.
For a decent chunk of the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning were connected to veteran defenseman Chris Tanev. It ultimately made sense, as the right side of their defense needs a boost, and he would have provided them with just that. However, we now know that he won't be heading to Tampa Bay.
The Calgary Flames are trading Tanev to the Dallas Stars in a three-team trade with the New Jersey Devils. The full details are as follows:
Stars Acquire: Chris Tanev (75% retained) & Cole Brady
Flames Acquire: 2024 second-round pick, conditional 2026 third-round pick, Artem Grushnikov (Retaining 50% of Tanev's salary)
Devils Acquire: 2026 fourth-round pick (25% of Tanev's salary)
Like the Lightning, Dallas needed a big boost to their defensive group, and now they are getting just that with Tanev. He should fit in nicely in their top four and be a key contributor to their penalty kill.
While missing out on Tanev is tough news for the Lightning, they still have several other defensemen available for the taking on the trade market. A few players whom they have been connected to include Noah Hanifin, Sean Walker, David Savard, and Joel Edmundson.
Now that Tanev is off the board, don't be surprised to see more notable defensemen get moved from here.