Winners, Losers and Trade Grades: Chris Tanev Dealt by Flames to Stars

And away we go as the first big deal of the 2024 NHL trade deadline season is officially upon us.

The Calgary Flames are trading veteran defenseman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars for a second-round pick, a conditional third-round pick and prospect Artem Grushnikov. Calgary retained 50 percent of Tanev's $4.5 million cap hit and involved the third-party Devils, who will take on $1.1 million of that hit in exchange for a fourth-round pick, per CapFriendly.

All in all, the 34-year-old Tanev heads to the Stars with 75 percent of his salary retained and a cap hit of around $1.2 million.

The deal takes one of the biggest names to watch off trade boards. The details of the transaction have tons of implications for both teams and buyers and sellers around the league, so let's break it down with some winners, losers and grades.

Winners: Dallas Stars

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Dallas general manager Jim Nill.

This deal is a master class in throwing the first punch and dictating the market yourself instead of waiting around to see what others are doing. The Stars, who are tied for No. 1 in the Central Division with 79 points, have followed up their Western Conference Final run with an even more consistent regular season.

This team has everything: goaltending (when Jake Oettinger plays up to his potential), young players breaking out, a large veteran presence that's still producing, some middle-aged (in hockey years) steady talent and depth.

The one issue rearing its head lately has been defense, especially with injuries to Jani Hakanpää and Nils Lundkvist. So you know what GM Jim Nill did? He said, "I'm simply going to go after the best defenseman available right now, who also happens to fit the defensive-defenseman mold we're lacking."

Not only did he accomplish that, but he also managed to get Tanev at a 75 percent discount, without forfeiting a No. 1 draft pick, and perhaps most shrewd of all—without giving up one of their absolute best prospects (and they have plenty). The emergence of Logan Stankoven lives on in Dallas, and the team managed to address its only need for less than $2 million.

Let this be a lesson to the more reactive GMs out there.

Losers: Calgary Flames

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Flames general manager Craig Conroy.

Would losing Tanev immediately mark the Flames as "losers" of a trade? Nah.

But retaining 50 percent of his cap hit and salary and not receiving a first-round pick is pretty mind boggling here, especially knowing Tanev was among the most coveted in a particularly weak defensive trade market. The kicker when it comes to the picks, is Calgary only receives Dallas' 2026 third-round pick if the Stars advance to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

It all makes you wonder what—if anything—the Maple Leafs, who were also rumored to be Tanev suitors, were selling.

And while it's clear the Stars have the superior prospect pool, so doing business with them in this way makes sense, the Flames didn't even get Stankoven, Lian Bichsel or Mavrik Bourque out of it. Sometimes the greatest asset of a strong prospect pool is keeping your top three and still acquiring a top active player in a trade, but it's surprising to me the Flames just...went along with it.

The biggest reason the Flames are losers of this trade, though, is that they had to make it at all. Looks like they're throwing in the towel after a few bizarre seasons.

Winner: Chris Tanev

Believe it or not, Tanev is still one of the top defensive defensemen in the game at 34 years old, and if you're the Stars with your mature roster, of course you believe it.

He's not going to blow the doors off on offense with one goal and 13 assists through 56 games played in 2023-24, but the Stars have enough talent up front. They needed a sturdy (barring pesky shoulder injuries), trustworthy, calming presence in front of the net. Oettinger plays particularly well when he has confidence in the guys directly in front of him, and Tanev will absolutely add to that.

His underlying analytics are pretty good, too:

You don't want to mess with the locker room or on-ice chemistry too much at the deadline sometimes, especially when you've got a tight-knit crew like the Stars do. Tanev adds just enough in a lacking spot, and imagine how pumped he is to slot in and make a reasonable impact on a playoff team full of veterans around his age.

Losers: Teams Looking for Defensemen

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TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 6: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates against Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at Scotiabank Arena on November 6, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)

You know who the Leafs really could've used? Chris Tanev. Now, the already slim pickings got even slimmer before the trade market even really got going.

Who else is left on the defensive market? Of course, you've got fellow future-former Calgary defenseman Noah Hanifin. Then there's Sean Walker, who I'd suggest the next team in need of a defenseman scoops up ASAP—but the Flyers might be hesitant to sell given their playoff position, so the price could be steep. Erik Johnson, anybody? Jakob Chychrun again? Perhaps Nashville's Alexandre Carrier is for sale.

The bottom line is that this market is fickle with a lot of wild-card situations in which we're still seeing if potential sellers will stand pat and go for a playoff run. The Stars win for not taking their chances.

Final Trade Grades

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 6: Chris Tanev #8 of the Calgary Flames skates against the Boston Bruins during the third period at the TD Garden on February 6, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Flames won 4-1. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

Stars: A-

Look, you never want to give in to the impulse to exaggerate about any trade, especially the first big one of the deadline period. Is Tanev going to come in and turn the Stars into some legendary dynasty? No, but he doesn't need to do that.

This is one of the most complete teams in the league already, in need of only steadier defense and a bit of late-run injury insurance. Dallas somehow achieved that at a 75 percent discount, without giving up a first-rounder or anyone it considers to be its top prospect.

Perhaps there's also something to be said about getting in early. The front office appears decisive and smart, and there's a lack of anxiety and/or desperation for the rest of the deadline.

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Flames: C-

This isn't the worst fleecing I've ever seen, and let's not exaggerate about Tanev, who has one goal in 56 games this year. But it still is a fleecing, especially considering the market. The dagger for me is the retained salary and cap hit.

We do need to be realistic and remember that the Flames have a bunch of guys who have expressed they want out, and that'll do a number on the leverage. But this isn't a great start to their 2024 deadline.