Stars acquire Tanev from Flames in 3-team trade

Chris Tanev was acquired by the Dallas Stars from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday in a three-team trade also involving the New Jersey Devils.

Calgary acquired defenseman prospect Artem Grushnikov and the Stars' second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and conditional third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. If the Stars do not advance to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Flames will not receive the third-round pick.

New Jersey received Dallas' fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft.

"I think anyone who follows hockey has seen my name around for quite some time now," Tanev said Thursday. "I'm super excited to get to Dallas, whenever that may be, but just really excited to be able to join the group, get to know everyone and help the team. Sort of relieved that everything is finally done and my family and I can get settled in."

Becuase of visa issues, Tanev may not make his Stars debut until their game at the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

"I think first of all, high character," Stars general manager Jim Nill said of Tanev. "He's a warrior, he plays the game the right way, plays hard, good size (6-foot-2, 193 pounds). You can match him up against other team's best players, very good in the penalty-killing. Just high-end character, high-quality player and person."

Tanev has 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) and a plus-16 rating in 56 games this season. The 34-year-old defenseman also led the Flames in blocks (171) while averaging 19:50 of ice time per game.

Tanev, who is in the final season of a four-year, $18 million contract ($4.5 million average annual value) he signed with the Flames on Oct. 10, 2020, can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Calgary will retain 50 percent of Tanev's salary, and New Jersey will retain 50 percent of what remains.

Signed by the Vancouver Canucks as an undrafted free agent on May 31, 2010, Tanev has 185 points (32 goals, 153 assists) in 773 regular-season games with the Canucks and Flames. He also has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 41 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"I talked to (Stars coach) Pete (DeBoer) last night, he just sort of welcomed me and just to get to know him a little bit," Tanev said. "We didn't really talk about the hockey stuff much. Just trying to get adjusted and sort of figure out when I'd be in town and when I'd be available. As far as role goes, I feel like anyone who knows me knows I am a team guy and willing to do whatever's best for the team to try and help this team win."

Along with Tanev, Dallas also acquired goalie prospect Cole Brady. The 23-year-old, who is currently unsigned, is 4-2-2 with a 3.04 goals-against average and .886 save percentage as a senior with the University of Massachusetts.

The Stars (36-17-9) lead the Central Division by two points over the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche after a 4-1 win against the Jets on Thursday. Dallas is allowing an average of 3.00 goals per game, 14th-fewest in the NHL.

"I think you look at the standings, we are three points out of first overall in the league, so something's going right," Nill said. "But as you approach the playoffs, you cannot have enough bodies, we know that, and so anytime you can add a player in person you're just giving yourself a better opportunity. This group has played very well this year, they've battled hard. ... We've got as good a chance as anybody. You want to supplement that and reward them for the strong season."

During his rookie season, Tanev played three games for the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final when they lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games. He has not been back to the Final since.

"I mean, I sort of got thrown in the fire my first year, and was able to play on a pretty good team and get some chances to play in some big games in the conference finals and finals, and you sort of, ever since that, chasing that feeling again, and wanting to be able to try to win," he said. "This gives me a good opportunity to do that so I'm quite happy about that."

Grushnikov, 20, has five points (one goal, four assists) in 44 games with Texas of the American Hockey League this season. He was selected in the second round (No. 48) of the 2021 NHL Draft.

The Flames (29-25-5), who have won four in a row, are seven points behind the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators for a wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.

"Obviously, Chris, what he's meant to the organization and what he's done for us over the four years, it's never easy to kind of let guys go, but we also knew it was something we had to do," Flames GM Craig Conroy told NHL.com on Wednesday. "To move forward, we worked through lots of calls with different teams to figure out what's the best thing for the Calgary Flames in what we're trying to do and trying to accomplish here. To be able to get Artem Grushnikov, he's a young, 20-year-old kind of defensive defenseman that is good on the penalty kill, strong, just a solid all-around defender. ... I think he's someone we're happy to add to the group."

NHL.com independent correspondents Aaron Vickers and Darrin Bauming contributed to this report