Oilers Should Have Outbid Stars for Chris Tanev

The Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars made headlines on Wednesday night by making a massive trade which ended up sending Chris Tanev to the Stars in a three-team trade with the New Jersey Devils. The full trade was the Stars acquiring Tanev and prospect Cole Brady, the Flames acquiring Artem Grushnikov, a 2024 second-round pick, and a conditional 2026 third-round pick, and the Devils acquiring the Stars’ 2026 fourth-round pick. In the deal, the Flames retained 50% of Tanev’s salary while the Devils retained 25%, meaning the Stars are only paying 25% for the remainder of his contract, which comes out to a $1.125 million cap hit.

The Stars have quickly become a favourite to come out of the Western Conference and walk their way to the Stanley Cup Final this season after this deal, which happened to be a surprisingly low return for a defender of Tanev’s caliber. Unfortunately, many teams lost out on the opportunity to bring in Tanev who could have been a huge piece for their lineup, and the Edmonton Oilers should be embarrassed they didn’t pull the trigger fast enough on this deal. I understand the rivalry may have forced the Flames to increase the price a bit, but the Stars fleeced the Flames and still have room to make moves at the deadline. There is no way the Oilers couldn’t have made some sort of deal work.

One of the biggest issues for the Oilers this season has been their defensive consistency, and Tanev could have been the guy who helped stabilize their blue line for a postseason run. At the price the Stars paid, this will likely go down as one of the biggest trade deadline steals in recent history. The Oilers have plenty of prospects in their system, such as Carter Savoie and Luca Munzenberger, who could have been of interest to the Flames, and they have the draft picks to have made this deal possible. If the Devils had been willing to make this move the whole time, there shouldn’t have been any hesitation in making this trade work, and I am shocked the Oilers couldn’t outbid the Stars.

Tanev Bolsters Defensive Lineup With Stars

At the time of this article, the Stars are tied for first in the Central Division with the Winnipeg Jets, as well as tied for second in the entire Western Conference with 79 points posting a 35-17-9 record. As a right-shot defender, Tanev likely slots in under Miro Heiskanen and steps into the second pairing with Jani Hakanpaa dropping to the third pairing. Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter make up the left side of the Stars’ blue line and have helped lead their team to a lot of success this season and are in a strong position heading toward the postseason.

The Stars have the second most goals scored this season in the Central Division, behind the Colorado Avalanche, with 218 as a team. They have been strong offensively, but their defensive play needed a bit of a boost if they hoped to contend with teams like the Oilers and Vancouver Canucks who are lethal offensively. The Stars have allowed 187 goals against as a team this season which isn’t bad, but for reference, the Jets have only allowed 135, and the Chicago Blackhawks, who are dead last in the NHL, have allowed 208.

Tanev bolsters the Stars’ defensive lineup and will likely help them clean up their play in their own end and help keep pucks out of their net. They have been a force to be reckoned with this season, and Tanev only increases their chances of winning a Stanley Cup. Unfortunately for the Oilers, they decided not to pay a small price for a massive upgrade.

Oilers Have to Look Elsewhere

There will be other names on the trade block heading into the trade deadline, but none who have the same impact on a team as Tanev would have had. Nick Seeler, Zach Bogosian, and Alex Carrier are all defenders who could be options for the Oilers at the 2024 Trade Deadline and could come at an even cheaper price. Hopefully, they can make a trade to improve their defensive depth heading into the postseason, because their current core isn’t trustworthy enough to bring them a championship.

The Oilers are coming off of a huge come-from-behind victory against the St. Louis Blues where they came away with a 3-2 victory. They are back in action on Saturday, March 2 in a battle against the Seattle Kraken where they will be looking to ride the momentum and turn their recent strong play into a winning streak.