The Dallas Stars have acquired defenseman Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames, and goaltender Cole Brady from the New Jersey Devils, per a team announcement. The Stars will send defensive prospect Artyom Grushnikov, a 2024 second-round pick, and a conditional 2026 third-round pick back to Calgary. Dallas has also sent a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Devils for their part in retaining 50% of Tanev’s salary for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
As the Flames also retained 50% of Tanev’s contract, that brings his AAV down to just $1.125MM for the Stars. As far as the conditions on the conditional third-round pick headed to Calgary, the Flames will only receive this pick if Dallas makes it to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
With Tanev now in the fold, this gives Dallas a formidable top-four of their defensive unit with Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Esa Lindell also in the mix. As Tanev was previously one of the grittier defensemen on this year’s trade market, he will make the Stars much more difficult to play against leading into the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
In the last season of a four-year, $18MM contract signed with the Flames organization, Tanev has averaged over 20 minutes a night in Calgary during his tenure. In 259 games played with the Flames, Tanev has scored a total of 10 goals and 67 points during his tenure in Alberta. 
Nevertheless, the Stars undoubtedly targeted Tanev due to his defensive prowess, as he averaged close to a 90.0 on-ice save percentage in all situations over his career. Aside from carrying solid defensive awareness, Tanev has also averaged more than 100 blocked shots each season, and he will become the new leader in that category in Texas with 171 already this year.
Currently, in a backup role at the University of Massachusetts, Brady was brought to the Devils organization as a fifth-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. In now his fourth season in the NCAA, Brady has played in a total of 46 games for Massachusetts and Arizona State, earning a 16-18-4 record with a .902 SV%.
In return to Calgary, Grushnikov was originally drafted 48th overall by the Stars in the 2021 NHL Draft. In his first full season in the American Hockey League, he has played in 44 games for Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, scoring one goal and five points overall. Nevertheless, Grushnikov does have solid defensive awareness like Tanev and can frustrate opposing players in his zone.
By adding the second-round selection and the conditional third-round pick, the Flames now have a total of 24 draft picks available to them in the next three NHL Drafts. Intent on rebuilding the team through the draft to supplement their core, General Manager Craig Conroy continues to stockpile picks through his trades this season to do just that.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports images.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal.
The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report the return to Calgary.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report the full return to Calgary.
Seravalli was the first to report New Jersey’s involvement in the trade.
Hope they leave some trades for the 8th!
I was hoping they would get Henrique and Gudas.
@wilfpaiement not sure if gudas is on the block, because of him still having a couple years left. The ducks will have a logjam at defense soon so if someone wants him enough I guess it could happen.
Everyone is on the block if the price is right, And the Ducks are in a rebuild. Pretty sure Gudas and Henrique can both be had.
Gudas chose to sign in Anaheim this past offseason knowing they weren’t going to be very good. He had offers from Edmonton Toronto and Calgary that he declined to sign there and has a full No Trade Clause this season.
Gudas made it very clear he wouldn’t play in Canada. At the end of the day, Gretzky played for 5 teams.
Gretzky had no trade protection. And was sold to the Kings. If it wasn’t for the 15 million Pocklington wouldn’t have even entertained the movement of Wayne.
And Gudas still has his NTC, and it would look extremely bad for the ducks to ask him to waive his NTC this early into his newly signed contract. No future FA would sign there if that happened.
That “no one would sign there” is just bogus. Vancouver dealt Garrison then later Schmidt under similar circumstances and they still got free agents. Players go where the money is, and with American & European players now making up the majority, few if any are going to put Anaheim on their “no trade list” because they asked Gudas to waive his NTC…. California taxes, maybe…
Flames could have held out longer and nabbed a 1st from someone, but Tanev’s such an injury risk due to his style of play. Best trade him when you can. Hopefully the prospect is good.
Dallas is pretty loaded.
Listening to Calgary sports radio, no one was offering a first. They got a prospect they wanted and a 2nd and ran with it. They’re happy with the deal.
The Stars have only used about 21 players this season. They need defense depth badly. Hanley is there 7 on the blueline.
Gudas has been the Ducks best defenseman this season, I doubt he will be moved.
I’d take that bet 8 days a week.
Kind of surprised the return wasn’t a bit more. Calgary must really like the D prospect.
Grushnikov is okay, but with Lundkvist, Bichsel, and Kyrou his days were numbered.
Devils taking on salary for a 4th, doesn’t necessarily look good for them getting goalie.
Can’t they pull a Vegas and keep Dougie Hamilton on LTIR through the final regular season game? That should provide more than enough cap space.
Pull a Vegas? The rules are the same for everyone, BTW. I think it’s called a Tampa Bay.
They could but there’s no guarantee they actually make the playoffs.
By retaining the partial Tanev contract (and that some other tanking team did not take it) it sure looks like they don’t think they will
Looks like MIN last year.
It’s actually called a “Chicago” since they were the first to start taking advantage of the ltir rules back in 2015.
Apparently, the price of D-men just went down.
Very nice trade for the Stars. I’d like to see them add a physical forward to the mix. Not necessarily a strict enforcer type, but someone not afraid to throw his body around. Stars can be pushed around a bit as currently constructed.
Trenin for anywhere between a 3rd and 5th rounder that I’d a guy who should be coveted
Gudas.
Are the Preds selling though? Trotz seems intent on repeating the David Poile formula on squeaking into the playoffs as a mushy middle team again.
Woof!
The career development with Cole Brady is one of the oddest I’ve ever seen. It’s like he defected from Canada to the United States.
Calgary should trade a lot of those picks for a superstar on offense and one on defence.
Calgary would need to pick up a few more first round picks to play in that market.
I don’t know what rounds the picks are in or how many first rounders they have but you’d think 24 draft picks would do the job. 12 picks for each player is a lot and you’re bound to find some really good players.
Bottom line in Calgary, It’s not dark yet,But it’s getting there.
oh, as a stars fan, I loooove this. especially after that abysmal outing vs CO.
I need someone to run through somebody.