Despite it now being roughly two months into the 2023-24 season, the management team of the Calgary Flames still seems to be quite unsure about which route they want to take. It appeared that by trading Nikita Zadorov last week, they had finally decided they were going to sell their pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) in exchange for help down the road. However, that may not be the case.
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Flames are circling back on the idea of extending defenceman Chris Tanev. The two sides were believed to have discussed an extension early into the season, but were unable to find common ground. Whether they can this time remains to be seen, but if they do, it would be a big mistake by the Flames.
Tanev Not Getting Younger
This whole piece may seem hypocritical given that just a day ago I wrote that the Flames should be looking to extend another pending UFA in Noah Hanifin rather than trading him. The reason behind that, however, comes down to age.
At 26, Hanifin is only beginning to enter the peak years of his career, and has shown improvement every season. Tanev, on the other hand, is 33. While he is still an excellent defender who has maintained a consistent level of play during his four seasons as a Flame, he hasn’t improved any, nor will be moving forward. That isn’t meant as a shot by any means, but the simple truth when discussing a player of his age.
Given that Tanev’s play hasn’t shown any signs of decline to this point, there will be teams lining up this offseason to offer him multi-year deals with cap hits very similar to the $4.5 million he commands right now. For a Flames team that won’t be contending in the next few years, offering him a deal similar to what he could earn this summer makes very little sense, and could turn ugly if he does indeed begin to hit a decline.
Future Assets Will Be More Beneficial
In the case of re-signing Hanifin, it makes plenty of sense from the Flames perspective given that he is still young. Moving him not only hurts this team now but could look even worse down the road if he continues to excel. The chances of the Flames getting back any pick or prospect who develops into a player of Hanifin’s calibre is slim to none, which would make trading him a very tough pill to swallow.
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As for Tanev, while there is no guarantee that any pick or prospect will develop, it wouldn’t hurt nearly as bad given that the rugged blueliner won’t continue to be a steady top-four option for several years down the road. It’s possible you could look back and suggest the trade didn’t work out as hoped, but the rationale behind it makes much more sense.
Flames Have Franchise-Paving Decisions Ahead
There seems to be a big debate among Flames fans regarding who should stay and who should go. The back and forth helps show the difficulty of the spot general manager Craig Conroy finds himself in. Whichever way he decides, it will be a major key in determining which direction this franchise will go in the future years.
If he elects to re-sign one or two of his pending UFAs, it would suggest that he is looking to keep this group competitive in the coming years. If he instead looks to sell, it will signal the end of what many fans have deemed perpetual mediocrity and would begin either a retool or a full-fledged rebuild. While both would ensure some struggles in the immediate future, they could help the Flames become a powerhouse down the road.
Whichever road Conroy decides to go, moving Tanev is still the right choice. Even if he wishes to keep the Flames competitive, signing a defenceman of Tanev’s age, one who has battled so many injuries, is a disaster waiting to happen. Very few players can push off Father Time, and while it’s possible he could be one of those select few, it doesn’t seem likely.
