In the aftermath of the NHL’s annual trade deadline, sometimes the trades that weren’t consummated are as fascinating as the deals that did come to fruition. When it comes to the Calgary Flames, there was a lot of trade chatter regarding the Chris Tanev trade, particularly in regards to teams possibly offering a first-round pick for his services.
Per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the Colorado Avalanche offered up a first-rounder. But that pick came with a catch: taking on the hefty contract of forward Ryan Johansen.
Here’s LeBrun:
And again, MacFarland could not comment on this, but league sources confirm he had talked with Calgary about a similar package — a first-round pick and Johansen — for Chris Tanev. Calgary wasn’t interested in taking on the Johansen contract, and the Flames liked the Stars’ offer.
Now, disclaimer: LeBrun doesn’t say definitively that Colorado was the only team to offer up a first. There could have been others as well. But the Johansen offer is consistent with earlier, vaguer reports that indicated the Flames were offered a deal that involved a first and them taking on another team’s contract but opted for a deal not involving that sort of trade-off.
Johansen, 31, has a season left on a contract that carries an $8 million cap hit. He was ultimately traded by Colorado to Philadelphia, with 50% of his deal retained, as part of a trade that sent Sean Walker to Colorado. He’s a right shot centre who’s produced reasonably well offensively, but not quite at the $8 million per season level.
The Flames opted for a deal that sent Tanev to Dallas in exchange for a second-round pick, a conditional third-round pick, and blueline prospect Artem Grushnikov. The deal was part of a hefty year-long sell-off of expiring assets by first-year general manager Craig Conroy that netted the Flames a whole bushel of picks, prospects and roster players – including the likes of Yegor Sharangovich, Andrei Kuzmenko and Daniil Miromanov.
The Flames complete their three game eastern road trip on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes.
More must-reads: