32 Thoughts: Chris Tanev is ‘the Taylor Swift of trade deadline coverage’ and other Flames notes

So per Friedman, here’s what’s going on with the Flames:

The Leafs have interest in Chris Tanev, and the Flames are “holding” to see if their 2024 first-rounder comes into play. But if the Leafs move their 2024 pick, their only pick in the first two rounds of the next three drafts will be their 2026 first-rounder, and that may be a tough pill for them to swallow. Friedman speculates, “maybe Toronto solves this by trying to trade for both Tanev and Noah Hanifin.” (To chime in some some context that Friedman didn’t write in the column, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported this week on OilersNation Everyday that the Flames were asking for a second-rounder for Tanev, but the Leafs don’t have a second-round pick until 2027, which presumably would bring their 2024 first-rounder into the conversation.)

Here’s a nice summary of Tanev’s whole situation:

“I can only imagine how tired Tanev is of this, already. There are a lot of teams interested in him, but it’s a unique market. There are teams who aren’t ready to win this year, but are determined to be a playoff team next year (Ottawa). There are teams who aren’t yet sure if rentals make sense for them (New Jersey). There are teams who like him but find it tricky cap-wise and trade-wise (Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver). I suspect Dallas lurks, which makes a lot of sense. Undoubtedly, there are others I’m missing. He’s the Taylor Swift of trade deadline coverage.”

The Bruins made a push for Elias Lindholm before the trade to Vancouver, but due to how many moves they’ve made recently sending out assets, Friedman noted they “couldn’t (and wouldn’t) offer anything close to what Vancouver did.” (The Bruins don’t have a 2024 draft pick until the fourth round.) They “wanted an extension with Lindholm, too.”

On Jacob Markstrom: “Calgary’s preference is to leave him alone.” As noted previously by Friedman and others, Markstrom’s contract has a full no-move clause and the Flames don’t want to bring anything to him unless it’s “something the Flames can’t say no to, or a place Markstrom tells them he wants to go.” Regarding Markstrom’s backup: “I don’t believe there’s been much talk around Dan Vladar.”

Finally, the expectation is that Noah Hanifin’s decision is “coming soon.”

As always, head over to Sportsnet’s site to read the full, massive, newsy column. There’s a great lead story summarizing the complexities and challenges regarding the Arizona Coyotes and their future in that area.