The Calgary Flames made their third trade of the 2023-24 season last night, as they sent one of their most talked about pending UFAs, Chris Tanev, to the Dallas Stars. The deal came of little surprise, as the 34-year-old’s name had been discussed in trade rumours all season long. With the direction the Flames are headed, an extension made little sense for either party.
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In exchange, the Flames have received prospect Artem Grushnikov a second-round selection in 2024 and a conditional third-round selection in 2026. The condition is based on the Stars advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, meaning that if they fail to do so, the Flames won’t receive the pick.
Based on his numbers, there isn’t a lot to be excited about when it comes to Grushnikov; he has just five points in 44 American Hockey League (AHL) games this season. As a member of the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League the season prior, he managed just 17 points in 65 games. Flames fans don’t need to panic, however, as there is far more to his game than what those numbers show.
Grushnikov Boasts Similar Qualities to Tanev
Grushnikov has plenty of ways to go before he is even remotely close to being the same calibre player as Tanev. In fact, he has a lot of development left ahead of him before even becoming an everyday NHL player. He still has plenty of potential, though, as he is just 20 years old.
At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Grushnikov has good size and may still have some growing left to do. He uses his size to his advantage, as he plays a hard, physical game and seems to take pride in being a difficult opponent to go up against. He is a tremendous skater, which allows him to be strong against opposing players on the rush, and he’s very good at boxing players out in front of his net.
Like most strong defensive players, Grushnikov is a reliable penalty killer and isn’t afraid to put his body in the lane to block shots. He will never be a point producer at the NHL level, but if he can continue to hone his strong defensive skills, he could turn into a valuable defenceman for the Flames within the next few years.
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Scott Wheeler of The Athletic recently ranked Grushnikov as the Stars’ 10th-best prospect. While admitting that there is very little to be excited about in terms of offence, Wheeler went into some extra detail on what he brings to the table (from ‘Scott Wheeler ‘2024 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 21 Dallas Stars’, The Athletic – 02/10/2024).
“Grushnikov is 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,” Wheeler wrote. “He’s got balanced posture and control in his skating, which he uses effectively gapping up. He’s an excellent backward skater. He’s got a disruptive stick and an ability to track and then close out physically (which hasn’t always been part of his game but has developed over time).”
Tough to Lose Tanev
Whether Grushnikov has an NHL future ahead of him remains to be seen, but what is clear is that the Flames are a worse team today without Tanev on their roster. The move needed to be done in order to help shape the future, but there is no doubt that it’s a tough pill for Flames players to swallow, given that they are still in the running for a playoff spot. Now down Tanev and potentially Noah Hanifin in the coming days, getting into the postseason will be an extremely challenging task for this team. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the adversity when they face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins this Saturday.
