The Calgary Flames are set to have another familiar face return to the Saddledome this coming week.
Last Tuesday, Andrew Mangiapane made his first trip back to the Saddledome since being traded to the Washington Capitals in the offseason. This coming Tuesday, it will be Chris Tanev’s turn.
Tanev, who was a fan favourite thanks to his fearless style of play, was traded to the Dallas Stars last season. The love for him in Calgary only grew further when it was learned months after his trade that — thanks to his modified no-trade clause — he chose to accept a deal with the Stars rather than the Edmonton Oilers.
“As hard as it was, I felt it was the best opportunity to win a Stanley Cup, which has been my ultimate goal my whole career,” Tanev said shortly after he was traded.
He’s now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who he was acquired by in the summer. Shortly after being picked up, the 35-year-old agreed to a six-year, $27 million deal.
Despite a lot of wear and tear on his body, Tanev has been a steady presence on the back end.
He’s third amongst all Leafs defencemen in time on ice with 20:01 per game and leads the entire group with an average of 2:36 on the penalty kill. To no surprise, he’s also leading the way with 137 blocked shots, which is third amongst all NHLers, trailing only Ian Cole (143) and Jacob Trouba (142).
Tanev’s excellent play has even led to some suggesting he should be Alex Pietrangelo’s replacement for Canada at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, a spot which current Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar is also gunning for.
“He’d be a great fit,” Leafs head coach Craig Berube said. “Looking at their lineup and what Tanny brings, Petro brings a lot of that too with penalty killing and the shutdown stuff. For Tanny, that’s his baby. He’s very good at that. It would be a good fit for them.”
Despite the bumps and bruises Tanev takes year in and year out, the right-handed blueliner appeared in 51 of the Leafs’ 52 games this season, during which time he’s chipped in with a goal and and 13 helpers.
Tanev wound up suiting up for 259 games with the Flames, along with an additional eight playoff outings. Over the course of those 259 regular season outings, he had a team-leading plus-73 plus/minus rating. Uncoincidentally, he currently leads the Leafs in plus/minus with a plus-19.
Though Flames fans will be rooting for a win this evening to help remain in a playoff position, they’re certain to give Tanev a warm reception, particularly when he gets a tribute video, which should come around the midway mark of the first period.
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