Tanev trade talks could be tricky
DRAFT DILEMMA: Stars open to trading third-overall pick, but if Benning gets bold he’ll need blue-line help
Talk is cheap, but the asking price isn’t. Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning will inquire about trading for the third-overall selection in the 2017 National Hockey League draft. The Dallas Stars are seeking an impact right-shot defensive defenceman capable of logging as many as 24 minutes a night to part with the pick.
Chris Tanev checks all the desirable boxes and that’s where it gets tricky.
If Benning wants to be bold, he could own the third and fifth picks when the opening round is conducted June 23 in Chicago. That would allow him to address two pressing needs — a playmaking centre and power-play point man — but the Stars are expected to up the ante. And why wouldn’t they?
If you believe Tanev and the 55th overall pick secured from the Columbus Blue Jackets as compensation for the October 2015 hiring of coach John Tortorella is enough, think again.
It’s not a stretch to suggest that Stars GM Jim Nill would also want the 33rd overall pick in that package. And because Benning has talked about getting a good player with that early second-round pick — especially if a targeted first-rounder slides — there is going to be sticker shock and another plan of attack.
Benning could also create a bidding war and find more immediate help, but how does that play into selling a rebuild to this populace?
At 27, Tanev provides a presence in the defensive zone and in the room, and teammates raved about him on the world stage. There is also his salary cap-friendly hit of US$4.45 million annually for the next three seasons. All that is exactly what several suitors are seeking and especially the Stars, who finished second-last in goals allowed per game this season and had the worst penalty kill.
Then again, the Stars could keep their pick or the Canucks could balk at parting with too many assets. But what if they did a deal?
What if Benning and Nill find common ground and the Canucks take Finnish defenceman Miro Heiskanen third because he’s clearly a cut above Cale Makar and Timothy Liljegren? They would still land a targeted centre at fifth overall because scouts suggest there is little separation between Gabriel Valardi, Casey Mittelstadt and Cody Glass.
The biggest dilemma in all this is how do you replace Tanev?
The expected return of unrestricted free agent Ryan Miller on a short contract signals a methodical rebuild because being competitive matters to the hockey operations department.
The 36-year-old Miller faced 40 or more shots on nine occasions this season, including three times in the final month. What is it going to be without Tanev, 50-shot barrages? Benning has already voiced his concern.
It’s why a bridge blue-liner would make sense.
That would allow the Canucks to get a better long-term read on Erik Gudbranson, Ben Hutton and Philip Holm, decide whether Andrey Pedan and Jordan Subban can play at this level and where Olli Juolevi is in his development.
The UFA market is clogged with older and expensive blue-liners, who will also want term, but landing a projected UFA on an expiring contract for the second pairing — one who could come near Tanev’s 20:20 of average ice time — makes trade sense. It would help stabilize the back end after giving up the seventh-most goals and having the third-worst penalty kill.
And it would also be prudent financially, considering available cap space.
The Canucks have US$17.3 million available, but deals for Bo Horvat, Miller, Gudbranson and four other RFA’s of the club’s choosing will probably eat up about $16 million of annual space.
There will be wiggle room with a Vegas expansion-draft claim June 21. If it’s defenceman Luca Sbisa, that’s another $3.6 million in additional cap space to pursue somebody in the $3- to $4-million range so as to not use it all up. And Benning would be sending money the other way, too. However, it’s not that easy. Thomas Hickey, 28, of the New York Islanders ($2.2M, 17:31 minutes) and Kevin Klein, 32, of the New York Rangers ($2.9M, 17:38) might merit trade consideration on their expiring deals until you dig deeper.
Hickey was more effective as a winger than a blue-liner this season. Hickey, the fourth-overall pick in 2007, has teased with skating, hitting and shooting ability, but is at best a second-pairing defender.
Klein is a defensive defenceman who played just one game in the playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens this season because his skating has tailed off.
It’s why filling that Tanev void would be difficult.