Now that Chris Tanev has been traded by the Calgary Flames, we can expect to see the pieces fall around the league, at least on defense. The Flames were thought to be holding up the market for defensemen, which could explain why Sean Walker and Nick Seeler have yet to be traded despite their no-progress contract talks with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tanev, Walker, and Matt Dumba were the league’s top three rentals on the right defensive side. Depending on which team you asked, the price they were willing to pay for each was different, but acquiring any of them was not inexpensive.
Anthony Di Marco stated that he does not believe every team ranked Tanev higher than Walker. Walker’s older age, lower injury history, and higher offensive upside may all contribute to this. However, in terms of value, it cannot be too far off.
While the Flames knew they wouldn’t lose any of their key UFAs for nothing, the Flyers are in a slightly different situation as they sit in a playoff spot. The Flyers, unlike Walker and Seeler, are not required to trade their pending UFAs, so they may feel less obligated to appear to reach an agreement just to move them before the deadline.
The Flames received a strong prospect, a second-round pick, and a conditional future third-round pick in exchange for Tanev, so expect the Flyers to receive a similar offer from teams still looking for a right-shot, top-four defenseman. I expect any team that missed out on Tanev to call the Flyers immediately.
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