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Chris Tanev

Canucks’ Chris Tanev Expected Out 2-3 Weeks

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Earlier today, Vancouver Canucks coach Travis Green revealed a fact too familiar to Canucks fans: Chris Tanev is injured. Green told the press that Tanev had been sent back to Vancouver from the team’s current road trip due to an upper body injury. Canucks beat writer Iain MacIntyre has since added that early indications are that Tanev, Vancouver’s top defenseman, could be out two to three weeks with his newest ailment. The specifics of Tanev’s injury remain unknown, but given this relatively lengthy timeline, more should be known soon.

Durability continues to be a major concern for the 27-year-old Tanev. The reliable two-way defender is as solid in his own end as they come, but as the old adage goes “the best ability is availability”. Now playing in his eighth season, Tanev has never played in more than 70 games in a season. Over the past four years, since Tanev truly became a regular blue liner in Vancouver, he has missed 72 games – nearly a whole season – due to injury. In fact, the 2016-17 campaign was his worst yet, as Tanev only managed to skate in 58 games and recorded a total of only 10 points.

Fortunately for Vancouver, the blue line has not suffered the same injury bug (so far) this year as they did last year. Tanev’s absence was felt in a major way in 2016-17, as Erik Gudbranson missed all but 30 games and both Alexander Edler and Ben Hutton were sidelined for 10+ games. Edler has been out of the Canucks lineup recently, but is ready to return, alongside a healthy Hutton and Gudbranson and newcomers Michael Del Zotto, Derrick Pouliot, and Patrick Wiercioch. That grouping isn’t without issue, but stands a better chance of  surviving the loss of Tanev, as well as young Troy Stecher, than they did last season.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vancouver Canucks

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Vancouver Canucks

Current Cap Hit: $73,012,499 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Brock Boeser (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Jake Virtanen (One year remaining, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Boeser: $850K
Virtanen: $850K

Boeser is one of the Canucks hope for the future. The team’s 2015 first-round pick has been playing exceptionally well in camp and looks ready to take a major role on the team. After two years at the University of North Dakota, Boeser managed to play in nine games for Vancouver last year, putting up four goals and an assist in that span and averaged 2.78 shots per game as well. Virtanen, on the other hand is just trying to cement a starting role on the team. The sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Virtanen has been disappointing and has had trouble finding a role with the club, playing 55 games two years ago and then settling for just 10 games last year. A solid camp so far suggests, he might have turned it around as he looks to take his game to the next level.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Daniel Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
F Henrik Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
D Erik Gudbranson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Thomas Vanek ($2MM, UFA)
F Sven Baertschi ($1.85MM, RFA)
D Troy Stecher ($925K, RFA)
F Markus Granlund ($900K, RFA)
F Alexander Burmistrov ($900K, RFA)
F Anton Rodin ($700K, UFA)
F Reid Boucher ($688K, RFA)
D Patrick Wiercioch ($625K, UFA)

On a positive note, there are many contracts that are set to expire next year, which could give the Canucks quite a bit of cap space. What the team will do with the Sedin brothers, long-time franchise players, is still up in the air. Rumors that they have no interest in going to a contender to finish out their careers suggest that they may choose to retire or sign up for a much shorter, much cheaper deal with Vancouver. While both have been leading the franchise, their numbers have begun to decline now that they are 36 years old with Daniel Sedin putting up just 15 goals and 44 points a year ago, while brother Henrik also just putting up 15 goals and 51 points.

There are very few potential unrestricted free agents that are critical to the team’s building of the future. While Gudbranson is just 25 years old, the team has shown a willingness to move on from the defenseman and has been talked about in trade rumors all offseason. The former third-overall pick in 2010 didn’t fare well in his first year in Vancouver, suffering a wrist injury and playing in only 30 games. The team may want to move on before they lose him. Vanek, signed late in the offseason, is also likely a trade chip at the trade deadline.

As for restricted free agents, the team still has high hopes that Baertschi will continue to improve. After struggling to break into the Calgary Flames starting unit, Vancouver picked him up and got 15 goals in 2015-16 and another 18 last year. The 24-year-old could easily wind up on the team’s second line and have a big year. Granlund, 24, is another youngster who stepped up a year ago, putting up 19 goals as a full-time starter. Stecher will also be a free agent. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season after coming to the Canucks from the University of North Dakota. He is penciled in as a first-line defender. The team also has high hopes they can turn around Burmistrov’s career. The former top-10 pick in 2010 was signed away from Arizona with the hopes he can fill a need in the bottom six.

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Oft-Injured Teams Likely To Rebound In 2017-18

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Every year, some teams invariably get the short straw when it comes to injury. The Washington Capitals, notably, were the healthiest team in the league, and ended up winning the Presidents’ Trophy. That said, organizational depth is absolutely vital, as the Penguins survived well enough to repeat championships, even though they were bottom-5 in man games lost. Ultimately, there are a few franchises that are merely anticipating a restart in 2017-18, in hopes of entirely forgetting the abuses of last season. These three teams are those which suffered the worst, and have a solid chance to rebound in the upcoming campaign.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning lost Steven Stamkos for the majority of the season after he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in November. He missed an astounding total of 65 games. Ryan Callahan was also lost for the majority of the year, losing 64 games of action to a lower-body injury. After that, the onslaught of injuries kept hammering away. Nikita Kucherov only lost 8 games, but was felled on three separate occasions. Ondrej Palat missed only 9 games as well, but his presence was sorely missed when absent. Cedric Paquette lost 23 games, while Tyler Johnson missed 16. It seemed that no one was safe on Tampa’s squad more man-games than an other teams when you factor in essentially retired players.

Tampa will look to remain healthy this season, after an incredibly unlucky venture in 2016-17. They have the depth to endure losses, but the sheer carnage last season was too catastrophic to overcome. Still, they finished only one point out of the final wild card spot. They could easily have squeaked into the playoffs and inflicted serious damage. This year, as long as the fates turn their way, they should be right back in the competitive mix.

Winnipeg Jets

Tyler Myers lost out on the bulk of the season, only playing in 11 contests. As a big component of the team’s defense, he will need to be back to peak performance if the Jets hope to stop some of the bleeding in their own end of the ice. Center Bryan Little lost 23 games to a lower-body injury, while Shawn Matthias missed 37 contests to an upper-body ailment. Not a single player survived the entire year without succumbing to some sort of injury or sickness, and the team as a whole struggled to find a consistent groove with so many bodies filling in and falling out.

The Jets need consistent goaltending and less obnoxiously aggressive defense if they hope to reach the post-season again. That said, simply remaining healthy will go a long way in transforming Winnipeg into a dangerous team. Mark Scheifele was absolutely dominant last season, and with reliable depth behind him, only good results lie ahead. The Central is also slightly less intimidating this year, even with Dallas making as many transactions as they did. Nashville and Chicago both took steps backward, the Blues remained relatively the same, while the Wild made lateral moves.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver will have a tough time entering the playoff conversation. In the relatively weak Pacific however, anything can happen. The Sedin twins are another year older, and GM Jim Benning hasn’t acquired any game-breakers in the off-season (Michael Del Zotto doesn’t count). Still, when a team loses over 300 man-games to injury in a year, things should theoretically improve the following year. Admittedly, some of their most heavily injured players were nominal players, like Derek Dorsett (68 lost) and Anton Rodin (79 lost). Still, they missed the presence of multiple depth players at a time and ultimately relied too heavily upon call-ups to crawl through the year. Jannik Hansen (39 lost), Chris Tanev (29 lost), and Erik Gudbranson (52 lost) are far from world-beaters, but on a team as thin at both offense and defense as the Canucks, their losses were unsustainable.

It remains to be seen how much of an impact general health will play for the Canucks. They still need their top players to find consistent production, and their younger players (Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi) must continue to progress. That said, with a little luck, they might find themselves somewhere near the mix yet again. With new coach Travis Green and a fresh beginning, perhaps there is one more Wild Card berth left in a team that has been prolonging their inevitable full-on rebuild.

Pacific Notes: Foo, Tanev, Treliving

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The Union College standout Spencer Foo looks to be closing in on a decision as to where he will sign in the NHL. The right-winger netted an impressed 62 points in 38 games as a junior. An Edmonton native, he appears to be closing in on signing with the Edmonton Oilers, per Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. He has also been linked to the Flyers, where he would almost certainly see a more favorable landscape when it concerns openings in the top-12 forward group. Foo, leading scorer of the Dutchmen, was announced as one of the 10 semi-finalists for the Hobey Baker award. The forward plays a gritty, greasy game and already appears to have embraced the physicality of an adult game. He has enough offensive upside to easily grow into a top-9 role.

  • Dallas is still on the hunt for a defenseman to aid newly acquired Ben Bishop, and according to Matheson have interest in Vancouver’s Chris Tanev. He only played 53 games last season, and struggled a bit alongside the rest of his Canuck teammates. Matheson ponders whether Dallas would be willing to move the #3 pick if more pieces were added, but this is difficult to imagine unless the addition is a far bigger get, probably including the Canucks’ own #5 selection. Second pairing defenseman are generally worth 2nd or 3rd rounders, whereas Dallas will have the opportunity to draft a real difference maker at their current position, conceivably standout defensive prospect Cale Makar. Dallas wants to compete now but the decision ultimately lies in Vancouver’s court.
  • Calgary has a large decision ahead of them, and it seems as though they could be the icebreaker on the goalie front. GM Brad Treliving has tough work ahead – the Flames seem intent on letting Brian Elliott go after his post-season struggles, and he’s arguably the best free agent goalie available. The team has been linked (with varying degrees of certainty) in trade talks to New York’s Antti Raanta and Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, and Arizona’s Mike Smith is a name that has been widely mentioned as available. Treliving will likely want to sort the situation out before July 1st when the pickings will get far slimmer. Peter Budaj and Mike Condon are options, but there will be other teams lobbying for their services.

Snapshots: Tanev, Cullen, Williams, Trotz

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The Dallas Stars have expressed interest in acquiring Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli.  There’s no word on how far those talks progressed but reports from earlier this week suggested that Vancouver would need to be blown away by an offer if they were to consider trading the 27 year old blueliner away.

Tanev has three years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $4.45MM and is viewed league-wide as a strong shutdown defender.  With the Stars adding a defensive-oriented coach in Ken Hitchcock this offseason, it’s no surprise that they would be targeting a defensively-sound player like Tanev.  Seravalli notes that Tanev’s modified no-trade clause kicks in on July 1st which allows him to block a trade to eight different teams.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • While Penguins center Matt Cullen has said he won’t make a decision on his playing future until sometime in the offseason, he acknowledged to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune that “It’s pretty likely that this will be the end” of his career. The 19 year veteran continues to play an important bottom six role in Pittsburgh, logging over 14 minutes a game in the postseason while chipping in nine points through 24 games.  He has been one of the better bargains since joining the Pens and had a cap hit of just $1MM this past season.
  • Winger Justin Williams has met with Capitals GM Brian MacLellan to discuss a new contract, notes CSN Mid-Atlantic’s JJ Regan (Twitter links). While no agreement has been reached, another meeting has already been scheduled.  The 35 year old is coming off his second straight strong season with Washington, collecting 24 goals and 24 assists in 80 regular season games while adding nine points in 13 postseason contests.  He carried a cap hit of $3.25MM and given the lack of top six scoring on the open market, Williams could find himself in line for a raise if he makes it to free agency.
  • Still with the Capitals, MacLellan doesn’t anticipate the fact that head coach Barry Trotz is heading into the final year of his contract will be any sort of distraction, notes Matthew Paras of the Washington Times. The GM added that they’ll discuss an extension once there is evidence of improvement from the team which suggests that Trotz is likely to at least start the season without any more job security.  Paras adds that Washington goalie coach Mitch Korn is contemplating retirement.  He has been coaching for the past 26 years, the last three of which were with the Capitals.

Vancouver’s Tanev Would Be Costly In Trade

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With the rebuilding progress underway in Vancouver, there are many rumors the Canucks may be looking to trade off their two veteran defensemen, Alexander Edler and Chris Tanev for prospects and draft picks. While Edler has a no-trade clause and would have to be a willing participant in any deal away from the only franchise he’s ever played for, Tanev would be easier to move. The 27-year-old blueliner wouldn’t provide much offense to any team trading for him, but his defensive ability makes him a top-four defenseman that so many teams covet as the offseason officially approaches.

Reports are that the Canucks are listening to offers, but will only consider it if they are blown away by an offer. After all, Tanev’s presence would be hard to replace on the blueline of a team that has had two poor years in a row.

In fact, Cam Tucker of NBC Sports reports Elliotte Friedman said Saturday night on Sportsnet, “The one thing I’ve heard is other GMs who say they’ve reached out to Vancouver have been told that this is no guarantee. And if Chris Tanev is going anywhere, the price is going to be very high for him. He’s got three more years under contract. He’s a good player at a good price. I don’t think Vancouver is looking to do this unless it’s a great deal.”

The Vancuver Sun’s Ben Kuzma wrote a story suggesting the team should use Tanev in a deal with the Dallas Stars with the hopes of acquiring the #3 pick in draft. Tanev and one of their fourth-rounders would be a solid package to net one of the top centers in the draft, whether it would be Gabriel Vilardi, Casey Mittelstadt or Cody Glass. They can then use their #5 overall pick to draft a young defenseman.

Dallas, who has made it clear that they are serious about moving the third overall pick, are looking for a top defenseman to solve their defensive issues. Tanev would be a perfect fit to their team, according to Kuzma.

Tanev, who like Edler has spent his entire career with the Canucks’ franchise, only put up two goals and eight assists this past year in 53 games. In fact, he’s never scored more than 20 points at any point in his career, but his defensive abilities make his 4.45MM deal over the next three years look reasonable.

Vancouver Canucks Announce Mumps Outbreak Among Players

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UPDATE (2/27/17): The mumps didn’t stay quarantined in Vancouver for very long. As expected, the virus has spread, as the Minnesota Wild announced that Zach Parise and Jason Pominville have been diagnosed with the mumps and the team has begun measures to isolate the pair and examine and vaccinate the rest of the team. However, it will have to wait until tomorrow, as the team made the announcement not long before the puck-drop on their game against the Los Angeles Kings. For those worried about the Kings players being infected, the Wild are coming off of their bye week, have not played the Canucks since February 4th, and have not played any opponents who faced Vancouver any later than that, so direct exposure is not the problem.

In a story NHL fans know all too well, the Vancouver Canucks announced today that Troy Stecher has a confirmed diagnosis of the mumps, with several others presenting symptoms. Stetcher along with Chris Tanev, Nikita Tryamkin, Michael Chaput and Markus Granlund will all be quarantined and isolated for at least five days, and vaccines are starting to be administered to all the players that haven’t shown symptoms.

Because it’s not clear when the team discovered the virus, it’s not known how far into their isolation the players are. Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports that all but Tanev are already ruled out for Saturday’s game, with him being questionable. The team has recalled Alexandre Grenier and Even McEneny to replace the sick players, and will bring up Jordan Subban should Tanev also miss the game.

The NHL has had mumps outbreaks before, on several teams around the league. It caught the attention of international health media in 2014 when Sidney Crosby conducted an interview with a face like a chipmunk, but has long been a problem. Teams have been given booster shots in the past even when they weren’t showing symptoms because of the risk involved. Mumps can result in a large number of symptoms and can even lead to meningitis, which is acute and possibly fatal. While the players are at very little risk of this, the fact that it is so contagious is alarming for Vancouver Coastal Health, who will be handling the situation.

Pacific Notes: Anaheim’s Coaching, Versteeg, Tanev

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While it’s not often that a team will change their head coach but keep all of the assistants around, that’s what the Ducks did this offseason when they brought back Randy Carlyle, writes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register.  GM Bob Murray noted that he and Carlyle had agreed to try working with the retained assistants for a year and then they would decide from there what to do but it’s hard to imagine changes at this point considering the team is comfortably in a playoff spot and only two points out of the division lead.  That was different from when Murray fired Carlyle back in 2011 as both assistant coaches were let go at the same time as well.

One of Anaheim’s assistants is former Ottawa bench boss Paul MacLean.  While he’s pleased with his current situation – it certainly helps that MacLean and Carlyle were teammates back with Winnipeg back in the 1980s – he indicated to Stephens that he would like to be a head coach again someday:

“Do I want to be a head coach again? Absolutely. I’d take that opportunity. If it comes my way, it would be something I would accept. But at the same time, I can’t just say I want to be that (team’s) coach. They’d have to come and ask you. If they don’t ask you, you’re not even in the conversation. My goal would be to move on and be a head coach at another point in time. Until that time arrives – or if it never arrives – I’m perfectly satisfied with the type of work that I can get done here.”

If the Ducks continue their strong play this season, it’s likely that MacLean will be in the conversation for any potential head coaching openings so that continuity behind the bench may not last much longer.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • It has been an adventurous few months for Kris Versteeg. After his deal in Switzerland was voided, he wound up with Edmonton in training camp, then spurned an offer from them to join Calgary.  Now, as Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun notes, Versteeg has had some tough luck with the injury bug, dealing with three separate injuries over the past six weeks.  The 30 year old made his latest return to the lineup yesterday against Tampa Bay after missing two games with an upper body issue.  When healthy, Versteeg has been a nice addition for the Flames with 11 points in just 20 games, giving them a bargain for his $950K cap hit.
  • Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev took part in practice today, reports Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy (Twitter link). He has missed the last 20 games with an ankle injury and while he likely won’t be ready to return after just one practice, this suggests he’s at least closer to returning which would be a big boost for a Vancouver back end that is also missing Alex Edler and Philip Larsen.

Pacific Division Notes: Gudbranson, Mueller

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The Vancouver Canucks finsihed 12 points behind Minnesota for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference in 2015-16 and with many of their best players – Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Alex Edler and Ryan Miller – all on the wrong side of 30, many thought it was time for the organization to embrace a full rebuild. Instead Vancouver inked veteran scoring forward Loui Eriksson in free agency and dealt young prospect Jared McCann along with a second-round pick to Florida for experienced defenseman Erik Gudbranson; moves that suggested the front office had every reason of contending in 2016-17. While the team sits just three points out of a playoff berth and with roughly two-thirds of the season remaining, it’s still more likely Vancouver will be a lottery team as opposed to a serious postseason contender. Now, with Gudbranson scheduled to reach restricted free agency next summer and likely in line for a marked raise over his $3.5MM cap hit, Vancouver will have to make a tough decision on what to do with the physical blue liner, as Jason Brough of Pro Hockey Talk writes.

As Brough explains, the Canucks have unexpectedly received strong play from rookie Troy Stecher, who has six points in 18 games, and already have Chris Tanev signed long term. Both are right-side defenders, as is Gudbranson, and a strong case can be made that they deserve top-four slots ahead of the former Florida Panther. In that case, Vancouver GM Jim Benning may not want to pay market value for Gudbranson, assuming he would be no more than a third-pair blue liner.

Benning has indicated that his newfound back end depth may allow him to trade a defenseman for a forward:

“We have depth on defense. We’ve rebuilt our defense. (Nikita) Tryamkin is 22 years old, (Troy) Stecher is 22 years old. (Alex) Edler at 30 is our oldest defenseman, so we have a young, good group back there. We have depth back there. So if we look to make a move, we’d have to use some of our depth on the blue line to add a forward.”

Gudbranson’s value is also difficult to project. The analytical community is not a fan, citing his substandard possession numbers – 48.7% career CF% – and his lack of offense. The towering blue liner has tallied just 48 career points in 336 NHL regular season games; good for a per-82-game-average of 11.7. With the league always looking for more offense and team’s prioritizing puck moving capabilities from its blue liners, there may not be as much of a trade market this summer for a player of Gudbranson’s ilk.

However, teams that value intangibles may be willing to overlook the advanced stats. But first, Vancouver has to decide whether they project Gudbranson to be a top-four defender and if not, are they going to be willing to extend the former third overall pick to a contract with an AAV in excess of $4MM or $5MM.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Defenseman Mirco Mueller has been recalled by the San Jose Sharks, according to the official website of their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News relays that the team’s head coach, Peter DeBoer, has not yet decided whether Mueller will be in the lineup this evening. However, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area believes it is likely the former first-round pick will sit out tonight. Mueller has appeared in 50 NHL games with the Sharks, netting one goal and four points. He has yet to suit up this season for the Sharks. Mueller has six points in 17 games with the Barracuda.

Saturday Injury Roundup: Niskanen, Edler, Vlasic

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It was a tough night to be a blue liner in the NHL last night as three, top-four defensemen went down with injury last night.

Matt Niskanen of the Washington Capitals suffered a lower-body-injury last night and did not return, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Capitals head coach Barry Trotz offered no further details after the game, only saying the 30-year-old blue liner would be reevaluated today. Niskanen comprises one-half of the team’s shutdown duo with Karl Alzner. He has posted nine points, all assists, in 21 games this season.

The Vancouver Canucks lost Alexander Edler last night after the 11-year vet blocked a shot during the team’s 3 – 2 shootout win over Colorado. Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun tweeted that Edler would undergo x-rays on his hand and added that Canucks bench boss Willie Desjardins that it “doesn’t look good for Edler.” Edler provides the Canucks with a steady, veteran presence on the blue line, particularly with Chris Tanev out of the lineup. On the season, the 30-year-old defenseman has three points and has a -8 plus-minus rating in 21 games.

Finally, Marc-Edouard Vlasic left the Sharks game against the Ducks last night after the second period and did not return. Curtis Pashelka, who covers the team for the San Jose Mercury News, added later via Twitter that the team’s head coach, Peter Deboer, provided no update on Vlasic after the game. Losing Vlasic for any length of time would be a blow to the Sharks. The 29-year-old defender is second on the team behind Brent Burns in average ice time and often lines up against the opposition’s top players.

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