If that’s the best offer that was available (besides Edmonton of course), I’m glad to see it done. I wonder if a couple things played into the flames making this trade instead of waiting any longer hoping to get a first round pick:
1. It’s possible Tanev was not only holding up the market for other sellers but also could have been holding up the market for Hanifin. Despite being different players in style, they are both top four defencemen and the market for Hanifin has been limited according to rumours. Teams that were in on Tanev and missed out may pivot and go after Hanifin now. The pool of available defencemen just got smaller with lots of time left for the market to shift to Hanifin.
2. Conroy likely told all the GM’s interested to table their final offer because he is not waiting for the TDL with Tanev. He likely said that tonight was the TDL for Tanev and it was their last chance to make the trade. Some GMs might have taken him for his word and offered less than what Dallas was offering just cause they truly were not willing to pay a 1st round pick. Others may have thought Conroy was bluffing and was just trying to get them to blink in negotiations - if so, those GMs now know Conroy should be taken seriously when he says to table your best offer now. This could come in handy for future trades (such as Hanifin or Markstrom).
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