3 reasons why Chris Tanev was an epic add for the Dallas Stars
On late Wednesday night, the Dallas Stars made a sensational trade to bring in defenseman Chris Tanev in their quest to win a Stanley Cup.
The Dallas Stars haven’t won a Stanley Cup in the 21st century, even if they finished the previous century as champions when they won it all in 1999 over the Buffalo Sabres. But this season, they look like serious Cup contenders, and that will remain so if they keep winning.
With 79 points as of February 28th, Dallas is second in the Central Division behind the Winnipeg Jets via a tiebreaker. One major reason they aren’t pacing the Central is that they have yet to get consistent when they don’t have puck possession, having allowed 187 goals and 3.06 per game, putting them at 19th in the NHL after 61 contests.
Clearly, the Stars needed help on the blue line, and former Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev was there for the taking. Given his sheer defensive play, Tanev was naturally a good fit for the Stars that needed an upgrade in the defensive zone, and he will help them big time in the very near future.
Chris Tanev trade is one Dallas Stars fans should celebrate over
Complete teams often win the Stanley Cup, and Dallas was winning way more games with their talent when in possession of the puck. We see this reflected in the 218 goals they scored this season, or 3.57 per game, which ranks third in the league. Many of us may have thought Jason Robertson (58 points) would be leading the crew, but that hasn’t been the case.
Instead, Robertson has just 19 goals on the year and is tied for fifth on the team, while Matt Duchene and Roope Hintz both have 23 apiece. Joe Pavelski and Tyler Sequin clock in at No. 3 and No. 4 with 20, so there was no need to upgrade the team offensively with so many talented forwards giving opposing goaltenders trouble.
Enter Chris Tanev, who could be the missing piece to this ultra-talented hockey team. Dallas hasn’t won a championship in nearly 25 seasons, but here are three reasons why the epic addition that was Chris Tanev could help bring a championship back to the city.
Tanev was enjoying one of his best seasons ever for a so-so team
The Calgary Flames were one of those few teams that could have factored in as buyers or sellers at the 2024 trade deadline, as they only sit five points outside of a wild card behind the Los Angeles Kings and the surging Nashville Predators. However, so-so has been an accurate term to describe the organization for a while, and they made a smart move to sell.
For this so-so hockey team, Chris Tanev was putting together a remarkable season despite his age. Through 56 contests, Tanev already hit his career-high of 171 blocked shots, good for 3.05 per contest. Given how subpar Dallas has been in the defensive zone this season, Tanev’s ability to get in front of would-be shots on goal alone helps the Stars.
But blocking shots isn’t the only way Tanev helps Dallas, as he’s been causing problems for puck-carriers all season with 21 takeaways. Tanev isn’t exactly known for stealing the puck, but he’s just eight takeaways from tying a career-high in the category.
As the playoff race heats up after the trade deadline, expect to see a more aggressive version of Tanev and, therefore, more takeaways and scoring opportunities for the Stars.
Tanev’s presence will make the lives of Stars goaltenders much easier
The 2023-24 season has not been Jake Oettinger’s best, and across his 37 appearances to date, he has not looked like a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender. Oettinger’s save percentage sits at a below-average 0.901 while his 16 quality starts gives him a subpar percentage of 0.444.
This wasn’t the season anyone following the Stars wanted to see from Oettinger, and it was clear they needed someone to help out their top netminder. You can say the same for Scott Wedgewood, their 1B, who has 27 appearances to date, a save percentage of just 0.899, and a quality starts percentage of 0.458.
One reason behind their not-so-good play comes because the Stars goaltenders are facing nearly 30 shots against per game, and that’s a number that must go down if they want to win a Cup. Tanev’s ability to block shots helps, but he can also be aggressive near the crease and box out opposing skaters looking to screen goaltenders and even deflect shots into the net.
There’s a reason why, despite Calgary having allowed 184 goals this season, Tanev’s on-ice save percentage metric sits at 91.3 and 91.7 at even strength and 5-on-5, respectively. Goaltenders have it a little easier when he’s on the ice, and that’s what he will give to the Stars.
Tanev adds another layer of postseason experience
The Stars are no strangers to deep playoff runs, as they earned a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 before losing four games to two against the Vegas Golden Knights. Dallas is also one of the NHL’s older and most experienced teams, so even without Tanev in town, they know what to expect for the playoff race and the eventual postseason.
But it never hurts to add one more layer of talent that has also seen his team trek deep into the playoffs before. Tanev has never won a Stanley Cup, but he was a force during the Vancouver Canucks playoff run in 2020 when he blocked 54 shots in 17 games and added an additional seven points.
Overall, Tanev has 41 postseason appearances on his resume, and he has more than enough experience playing “playoff hockey” even before the postseason begins. The Stars have experience, age, and even postseason experience on their side, so to stack a productive player who has been in the league since 2010-11 makes their good situation even better.
Now that Tanev is in Dallas, look for this team to allow fewer goals while they still win games with their scoring ability. And that will create mismatches for opponents as the Stars look to retake the lead in the Central Division.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)