Flames Rumors: 2 Exciting New Teams Linked To Tanev

The Calgary Flames sit outside of a playoff spot, and although they have won three games in a row, they don't look like a team ready to compete. If they stay the course, they are bound to be a middle-of-the-pack team again and get a decent draft pick, not a good one. With the players that are still UFAs at the end of the season, it doesn't look like things are going to get any better.

Chris Tanev is still one of the top trade targets on defense for the Flames as he is a great shutdown player. He has shown no sign of re-signing and the Flames were already able to pull off one trade by sending Nikita Zadorov off to the Vancouver Canucks. This indicates they aren't waiting around and Tanev could go well before the trade deadline.

There are two new exciting teams being circulated as top destinations for Tanev this season. As reported by Kevin Weekes, these are the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars.

The Devils will very likely be without Dougie Hamilton for the remainder of the regular season. The team is going to put him on the LTIR, opening up $9 million for the team to spend. They aren't going to spend it all in one place, so allocating half or even less with cap retention to a strong defensive presence on the right side to fill the hole seems like a very good move.

The Stars' defense is their weak spot and Ryan Suter is no longer a viable top pairing option. He may even be a fourth defenseman at best at this point. This team has a need for a defensive upgrade if they are to push even further into the playoffs this season. The only goal is to win the Stanley Cup for the Stars. They are going to have a very tough time doing so with the defense as is. Adding another great defensive piece in Tanev would do them a lot of good, but will have to find cap space.