Oilers have shown trade interest in Chris Tanev: report

The Edmonton Oilers are primed to be back in the buyer’s market this season.

As the trade deadline looms exactly a month from today, Oilers’ Ken Holland is expected to be one of the busier GMs this year. Though recent reports suggest the team will be looking to bolster their forward group, there is no doubt Edmonton’s right-side defence could use some shoring up as well.

An attractive option to do just that plays for their provincial rival as the Calgary Flames seem to be on the verge of trading Chris Tanev. TSN insider Darren Dreger linked the Oilers to the 34-year-veteran on yesterday’s edition of Overdrive on Toronto sports talk station TSN 1050.

“I think the Oilers would love to have Chris Tanev,” said Dreger. “There is a team that I hadn’t heard about that I heard about today. I’m not putting [the Oilers] in the realm of being the frontrunner, just one of the many teams that have expressed interest in this player.”

Tanev’s reported asking price from Flames GM Craig Conroy is speculated to be a second-round pick and another asset. Though, as Dreger explained in that same radio hit, the Flames might try to outwait the Toronto Maple Leafs, another interested team, to get a first-round pick.

It might not be unreasonable to think Calgary would be expecting the same from the Oilers, as they would want to jack up the price in any trade with their most tenuous rivals. If that is the case, it might be a bit too rich for Edmonton.

Tanev would certainly be an upgrade on Cody Ceci and give the team that much more playoff experience in the lineup, but he is not without some flaws. His health has been a concern as he found the Flames IR on several occasions over the past few years. Tanev is also set to be a UFA after this season, which could make him a pure rental for any team he is traded to.

The Flames have done business with the Vancouver Canucks twice this season, but in both cases, the return has been heavy. You can expect the same for any deal with the Oilers and, considering the amount of teams interested in Tanev, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the bidding war becomes too expensive.

If Holland can pull something off, it would be a tidy piece of work. Ceci would most likely have to be moved out in that or another trade for Tanev to slot right beside Darnell Nurse on the Oilers’ second pair.

It should be no surprise that the Oilers are interested in Tanev, it’s another thing altogether as to whether a deal can be reached to acquire him.

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