[united]

This is a tough one for me.

I have been a huge Tanev booster for years now, including numerous times on this forum. I've been higher on him than most, recognizing that while he is a shut-down defender - one of the best - he didn't have a propensity to punt under pressure which set him apart from most. He is such an intelligent player, facing the Game's best year after year without being a defensive liability or a penalty liability. That he has flown somewhat under the radar while playing in a Canadian market is, to be honest, pretty baffling.

However, this is a guy with a ton of mileage on his body for his age due to the incredibly admirable way he plays. Tanev has never cheated the game - never seen a shot he wouldn't step in front of, never bailed on a puck retrieval regardless of who was bearing down on him ready to clatter him into the fourth row, never backed down from the largest net-crashing forwards. Then you add the intangibles of being loved by fellow players, every coach he's ever had raving about his coachability and professionalism, and dedication to off-ice training and lifestyle choices. How about leadership by example? The definition of it.

There isn't a team in the league who wouldn't want Chris Tanev on their roster...but at 4 x $4.5? That is a tough entry point given the mileage on his chassis and the signs his play is starting its decline. Believe me, I don't say that lightly as I've been a massive admirer of Tanev's for many years. I never imagined the Flames having a realistic chance to add Tanev to the roster and now they've done exactly that yet I'm not optimistic. This is a ballsy bet by Treliving and he better hope the decline was largely driven by Tanev's mentoring of Quinn Hughes. I sure hope he lives up to the contract and Flames fans get to see what a masterful defender he is, but, as much as it pains me to say, I don't see the probability of that happening as being particularly high.

This reeks of Treliving being held up waiting for the Brodie situation to play out while right-shot defenders started getting taken off the shelves, leaving the Flames with one right-shot defenceman on the roster and few viable options remaining. All leverage to Tanev's Team who did exactly what they should and maximized his compensation.