Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev is out with an upper-body injury, according to the team. He is considered day to day. Nick DeSimone has been called up from the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. To make room for him on the roster, Matthew Coronato was assigned to the Wranglers.
Tanev suffered the injury Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche. Fifteen seconds into the game, Tanev was hit along the boards by Avalanche forward Ross Colton. Tanev left the ice toward the dressing room once he got to his feet.
Tanev is No. 3 on Chris Johnston’s trade board for The Athletic and is playing through the final year of a four-year deal with a $4.5 million AAV. Known for his ruggedness, leadership and defensive qualities, Tanev has seven points in 27 games for the Flames this season. He is regarded as one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL.
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The biggest question that surrounds Tanev’s trade value is his injury history. The 33-year-old right-shot defenseman only played 56 games in 2022-23 due to various injuries. This season, Tanev has had a few injury scares at practice and in games, including late last month when he left a game against the Vegas Golden Knights after blocking a shot off his face. Tanev played all 82 games during the 2021-22 campaign but missed time during the playoffs. He returned for the series against the Edmonton Oilers but played through a torn labrum and a separated shoulder.
DeSimone, a 29-year-old right-shot defenseman, has four assists in eight games with the Flames this season. The Flames have the option of putting him alongside Ilya Solovyov on their third pair while bumping up Dennis Gilbert to a second pairing with Noah Hanifin. Or, if they don’t want to disrupt the Solovyov-Gilbert pairing, they could place DeSimone with Hanifin.
(Top photo of Chris Tanev: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)