The Flames and Canucks had discussions about including Chris Tanev in Wednesday’s Elias Lindholm trade, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). However, in the end, he was pulled out of those discussions with Calgary deciding it was better to move him in a separate swap. Tanev, a top shutdown defenseman, is expected to be one of the most sought-after blueliners heading into next month’s trade deadline with as many as ten teams believed to be interested. He’s on an expiring contract with a $4.5MM AAV and while the Flames got away without retaining in the Lindholm trade (or the Nikita Zadorov one earlier this season), it feels like there’s a good chance they’ll need to pay this contract down up to the maximum of 50% if they’re going to maximize their return.
Other blueline notes around the NHL:
- The Maple Leafs and Oilers are among the teams that have spoken to the Flyers about defenseman Sean Walker, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported in a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link). The 29-year-old right-shot rearguard is having a bounce-back season, recording 17 points in 50 games so far while averaging nearly 20 minutes a night while being on an expiring $2.65MM deal. With a limited supply of quality righties available, Pagnotta notes that Philadelphia has placed a first-round pick as the price tag for Walker’s services although they may have to lower that to get a trade done.
- With the Sharks now on their bye week, they’ve assigned defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin to the minors, per an announcement (Twitter link) from their AHL affiliate. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut on Saturday and has played in three games so far, picking up an assist while averaging over 21 minutes a night. Mukhamadullin has 26 points in 39 games with the Barracuda and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get recalled for their next game on February 14th.
ShaMu is playing over 21 min a night already!?!?!?! Wow, he should never go back down again!
Uh-uh. No ShaMu. Thou must type the full Shakir Mukhamadullin when referring to him. (I like the nickname.)
I wonder how Calen Addison (who counts as a grizzled vet on the Sharks) feels about Shakir getting six more minutes against Seattle.
@Jess the trip & @Johnny Z — The worst thing I heard Heddy say about Mukhamadullin during their last game was that he made a couple of mistakes due to youth. In other words, he was surprisingly solid and trustable. Addison, not so much.
Yup. I recall someone saying “why on earth would Minny trade Addison for negligible return?” The Sharks will tell you why.
I’ve always gotten a kick out of pundits and such using the phrase “shutdown defenseman.”
I often ask myself who exactly are they shutting down? Last time I checked, at the end of every season the stars always have their point a game numbers at a minimum.
They are doing it again the non-shutdown defensemen.
Just go look at McDavid’s numbers while Jaccob Slavin is on the ice if you want a good example of what a shutdown defenseman can do.
The Flyers might not have to lower their asking price for Walker. If there are enough team’s involved & that’s a likely scenario, a GM very well may give in & give up a first round pick. I live in PA & the reports out of Philly are that five or six teams have talked to the Flyers about Walker. That’s a solid market & if there are rivals bidding for Walker, a GM might give up more just to keep them away from a rival. You see this all the time.
Philly trades Laughton for picks then
Walker for Myers and Aatu Raty
Van goes shopping for forward depth with the cap space.
Flyers aren’t taking Myers. They have too many defensemen as it is. Can do a lot better that that in a trade
The Flyers are close to the cap and would take on more cap for Myers. They’re not going to take on the chaos giraffe when the need doesn’t exist.