'We're Always Talking'

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

And after being apart for the better part of four games, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin are happy to be reunited as defence partners, as the Flames jet off to California for their final two games before the holiday break.

Tanev returned to the Calgary lineup in Monday’s win over Florida, blocking an eye-popping 10 shots in the Flames’ 3-1 win.

It was the type of return that makes teammates cheer, and fans wince.

But for Hanifin, his partner’s selflessness was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Honestly, I’m pretty used to it by now, I’ve seen the way he’s played for so long,” Hanifin said following Flames practice Wednesday morning. “You don’t really expect anything else when he’s back in the lineup; if he has an opportunity to get in the way, block a shot, and sacrifice his body for the team, he’s going to do it every time.

“That’s what makes him such a special partner and teammate.”

The Tanev-Hanifin pairing has been the most prevalent of Calgary’s defence combinations this season; through 32 games, the duo has spent 315 minutes on the ice together at even strength, which according to Natural Stat Trick is only eight fewer minutes than their total shared ice time from the 2022-23 campaign.

When they’re on the ice together, the Flames have outchanced their opponents (including a 72-48 advantage in high-danger opportunities).

For Hanifin, their shared success boils down to keeping things simple, and staying vocal.

“He communicates a lot and he’s always in the right position, he’s super-sound positionally,” Hanifin said of his teammate. “As a partner, you know where he’s going to be at all times. If he has the puck, he’s very predictable about where he’s going to go with it, that’s usually all you want.

“He works so hard, going back for pucks on breakouts, if I’m going back, he’s always setting picks and stuff just to give me an extra second.

“He does all the little things really well.”

Tanev, who celebrated his 34th birthday Wednesday, is the elder statesman on the Calgary blueline.

But over his time in the Stampede City, he’s formed a bond with Hanifin, more than seven years his junior.

“It’s been great, he’s one of my really good friends so it’s easy to play with him,” Tanev said. “It’s really easy to bounce things off each other, we’re always sort of talking about how we can be better together to help the team win.”

We’ll stop short of calling them yin and yang, but their individual styles of play do complement each other, according to Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska.

“I think it allows Noah to feel like he’s got a little more freedom to be able to join the play at times, to be able to get moving around in the offensive zone, and if he were to get himself caught or out of position, Chris would cover him off,” Huska said of the pair.

“I think they have the relationship now too where Noah feels really comfortable if Chris provides some feedback and the same thing the other way around.

“Both of them are really good with each other with regards to how they communicate with each other.”

Hanifin’s offensive game has benefitted, too.

Amid a Flames defence corps that’s shown plenty of flair in the offensive zone, Hanifin is quite on pace to surpass his career high of 10 goals in a season (a high-water mark he's reached twice, most recently in 2021-22).

Confidence is surely a contributing factor, as is the Flames’ renewed commitment to including all five skaters in their offensive plans.

But it’s also due to Tanev’s presence: Huska went as far as to refer to his veteran rearguard as a ‘security blanket’ in a media session earlier this week.

“I think it’s more about a safety thing,” Huska said.

“Noah knows if (he does) make a mistake, more than likely Chris is there to back him up.”