The Seattle Kraken have selected forward Brandon Tanev from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2021 Expansion Draft.
About Tanev
Brandon Tanev is a 29-year-old forward who originates from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and played from 2012-13 to 2015-16 for the Friars of Providence College in the Hockey East conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college program. During the 2014-15 season for the Friars, he finished with 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points in 39 games. His most successful numbers in terms of offensive production came during the 2015-16 when he finished with 15 goals and 13 assists for 28 points in 38 games for the Friars. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets during the 2015-16 season while playing with the Friars.
Professional Journey Through the 2020-21 Season
He debuted for the Jets during the 2015-16 season, playing in three games, and the following season he was active in 51 games. The highest number of games he played in has been 80 during the 2018-19 season, which resulted in the most offensive production of his career with 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points.
Tanev is not known for his offense, but he followed these stats up in 2019-20 with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 68 games. Last season, he was active in 32 of the 56 games and had seven goals and nine assists for 16 points. He began last season effectively as the team was affected by injuries.
Contract Information
Tanev was signed as a free agent in July 2019 by previous general manager Jim Rutherford and agreed to a six-year, $21 million contract with the Penguins. He has four years remaining on the deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.5 million. The contract includes a modified no-trade clause (M-NTC) and counts for a 4.3 percent cap hit, which is tied with forward Bryan Rust for the fifth highest among players on the roster.
Scouting Report
Tanev’s strength is his ability to be effective on the penalty kill and he can play on the third and fourth lines at either the left or right wing positions. He is known for his two-way ability and displays grit through his play. He gives consistent effort each game, but he has a history of injuries. He most recently missed 18 games last season with an injury, but returned for the postseason series against the New York Islanders.
Penguins Players Exposed Not Selected By Kraken
• Zach Aston-Reese is a restricted free agent who played with center Teddy Blueger and was an effective contributor on the fourth line for the Penguins.
Related: THW’s Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft Tracker
• Marcus Pettersson is a defenseman entering his prime who has a cap hit of $4.025 million over the next four seasons, and with long-term contracts to defensemen Michael Matheson and John Marino already in place, the Penguins may look to trade Pettersson to free up some cap space if the team wants to re-sign Kris Letang after next season.
• Jason Zucker had been effective for the Minnesota Wild, but has struggled to maintain that success with the Penguins. The 29-year-old forward has two years remaining on his contract with a $5.5 million AAV.