Canucks: What should they do with Chris Tanev?
Chris Tanev of the Vancouver Canucks is set to hit free agency on July 1st. What should the club do with their best stay-at-home defender?
For someone who has found himself on the armchair general manager trade block once or twice over the past couple of years, Vancouver Canucks defencemen Chris Tanev is 100 percent healthy and in the midst of a bounce-back 2019-20 campaign.
The fans that have been calling for general manager Jim Benning to move on from Tanev while he “still has value” may want to reconsider their demands.
The East York, Ontario native is recording the best numbers of his career this year. At 30 years of age, with 10 years of NHL experience, Tanev has never played more than 70 games in a single season. Not only that, but he has failed to put up more than 20 points. This year, however, Tanev has played all 46 games — and he’s already up to 14 points on the season.
It may be a matter of luck that Tanev has yet to fall to injury, but something looks different about his play overall — and he’s highly valuable to the team when healthy. Some may beg to question whether this rejuvenated defender is more a result of Tanev nearing the end of a contract year, or if he’s benefiting from playing with a versatile and highly skilled partner in rookie All-Star Quinn Hughes?
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No doubt that the duo of Hughes and Tanev has been the best defensive pair that head coach Travis Green has to offer.
Tanev’s stay-at- home style allows Hughes to roam free and occasionally join the forwards on the rush. Hughes brings out offence in Tanev and vice versa, while Tanev makes Hughes more defensively responsible.
Hughes is on the right path to a long, successful career, and Tanev would be smart to ride it out next to him.
These two could work well together for the foreseeable future, and with Alex Edler on the back nine of his career and Olli Juolevi’s potential ceiling unknown, having Tanev around long-term might be a wise decision by Benning. He puts his body on the line for the Canucks each and every night. He may lose a tooth or two, break a leg or bust his nose, but when he’s good to go, he gives it his all.
The 2020 trade deadline is roughly six weeks away. There’s hockey to be played between now and then to determine the Canucks’ playoff positioning. But Benning will soon be hard=pressed to sort out the situation of Tanev’s future in Vancouver.
A crucial decision for Benning awaits. Let’s take a look at his options.