Calgary Flames turned down a first-round pick offered for Tanev: report

Many were upset two nights ago at the fact the Calgary Flames failed to land a first-round pick in the Chris Tanev trade.

Tanev, who is set to become a UFA this offseason, was dealt to the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenceman prospect Artem Grushnikov, a 2024 second-round pick, and a conditional 2026 third-round selection.

It was reported weeks ago that the Flames were hoping to receive a first-rounder for Tanev, though Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said yesterday that general manager Craig Conroy and his staff preferred Grushnikov over a late first. Whether or not the Stars offered their 2024 first-round pick is unclear, but the Flames did have a first available from a different team.

On a recent episode of Insider Trading, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirmed that an unknown team offered the Flames a first for Tanev, but it would have resulted in them helping said team out.

“Calgary did have a first-round pick on the table in one other trade offer, but it came with taking a player with term as part of the package,” LeBrun said. “That wasn’t of interest to Calgary.”

There has been plenty of chatter online that the “player with term” may have been Cody Ceci, as the Edmonton Oilers were one of the teams in on Tanev, though that is purely speculation. Others have discussed the possibility of it being Ryan Johansen, as the Colorado Avalanche had interest as well.

While draft picks are valuable to a team, so is cap space, and Conroy has done a great job at moving plenty out this season. He’s not expected to be done making moves just yet, as Noah Hanifin remains on the block and is likely to be moved out on or before the March 8 deadline.

You might also like:
• Conroy admits he had low expectations when Flames acquired Kiprusoff