I have been a big fan of Tanev over the years. The key word being "years"... I would have loved this contract 5 years ago. Now, I am scared. That's one body with many, many hard miles on it. I am an old guy, but I am progressively seeing more and more value in the analytics, as they evolve to more accurately describe and isolate individual players. I am scared when I look at Tanev's metrics.
I don't know whether to blame Burke for the "dinosaur" outlook of our management or if this has always been here, but this constant wastage of money and assets on "character" or "size" or "truculence" is really frustrating. I am in favour of all 3, but, dammit, actual ability to play the modern game should be a pre-requisite. Yelle, Iginla, Regehr, McCrimmon, etc could all play hockey well, as defined by their respective eras of the game. Brouwer, Hamonic, etc could not.
I agree with SuperMatt - what is the f-ing rush? Why do we HAVE to sign Brouwer or Neal or Tanev right in the beginning of free agency? Does Treliving get caught up in the moment and panic that we won't be able to get "anything"? Or, is our pro scouting/evaluation horrible and we constantly target bad players? I mean, wait a week and see who is desperate for a job or who is desperate to clear cap. Maybe you can get Nate Schmidt for free or Hjalmarsson + asset or whatever else comes up. My amateur psych assessment is that Treliving suffers from lack of patience and tunnel vision...
Obviously, Chris Tanev can come here and play at the level he had 5 years ago - then, this is a fantastic signing. I hope that happens! But, if I were to bet money, that is a poor bet, given age, health, and analytic trends...
Tanev has been one of my most-respected players in the NHL for years. But, going forward... seems like similar timing to the Oilers' Lucic contract. But, I hope I am completely off, Tanev will be energized by a new environment with better defensemen around him and will be a great success.
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