‘Trade Tanev’ talk going silent
NHL: GM Benning says team won’t move ‘best defenceman’ for picks at NHL draft
The Canucks believe it will be “near impossible” to move up in this weekend’s NHL draft. The same could apply this week for any Chris Tanev trade.
It’s not entirely because Las Vegas selected Luca Sbisa, a replaceable left-handed, third-pairing defenceman, although the Canucks are making it a significant factor.
It’s also because a market for Tanev has yet to materialize, even though it’s been a healthy topic for insiders in a league where an overwhelming number of teams are seeking top-four defencemen while staring down an incoming free agent class that’s thin and weather beaten.
The Canucks haven’t been aggressively shopping Tanev, but anyone paying attention has understood there was potential the Canucks’ top-pairing defenceman, who is among the league’s best at suppressing shot attempts, was in play.
I mean, the Canucks just finished 29th in the standings. Anyone older than 26 should be in play.
“There hasn’t been a lot of interest in him, quite honestly,” GM Jim Benning said. “... For whatever reason that is. But I think people know he’s a good defenceman, and maybe we haven’t had calls on him because he’s an important guy on our blueline, too.”
The Canucks see Tanev as being even more important after losing Sbisa, a big but slow blueliner whose style of game looked more outdated as the post-season went along.
They’ll still entertain offers for Tanev, but now suggest they’ll be unwilling to move him for draft picks this weekend.
“We did talk to some teams about Chris. He’s conceivably our best defenceman,” Benning said. “He’s the type of defenceman we’re talking about, where he gets back and he transitions the puck up the ice fast.
“But we don’t have the depth on our defence now to start moving any other pieces unless we get a good young defenceman back.” That scenario seems unlikely. Of course, all of this could change after free agency, and the Canucks have a ton of cap space ($19.5 million) to bring in depth.
On that front, the Canucks aren’t entirely focused on acquiring blueliners with skill sets similar to the two big guys they recently lost — Sbisa and Nikita Tryamkin.
“I think the game has got so fast the last couple of years, you need guys who can get back there and get the puck going the other way fast,” Benning said. “As far as size-strength defencemen, a few months ago we had some depth, but now we don’t have the same depth, but we do still have Erik Gudbranson.
“(In free agency), we’ll be looking for a quick transition defenceman.”
It’s troubling the Canucks have struggled to manufacture a market for Tanev, but truthfully, there’s no urgency to deal him, and Benning’s two best veteran-for-future moves were done on deadline when there was a figurative countdown clock.
Tanev has a limited no-trade clause that’s triggered in July. It doesn’t appear to be overly prohibitive; he can list eight teams he won’t accept a trade to.
If Tanev is healthy and productive, it’s plausible he could have more value before next season’s deadline than he has now. But that’s not going to help the Canucks acquire more picks or trade up this weekend.
“It’s going to be hard to trade up in the draft, near impossible,” Benning said. “We have some players who we really like, who we’re hoping to draft. We’re at (No. 5), and depending who is there when we pick, maybe we can trade back a few spots and maybe acquire another pick.
“We are happy drafting at five. We like the players who will be sitting there when we pick.
“We do have some things to look at, so it should be an interesting fun week.”
Just not for the Trade Tanev Club.