Flames try to keep morale high after dealing away Chris Tanev to Stars

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Losing Chris Tanev is going to have an impact on the Calgary Flames.

It’s going to affect them on the ice, where the veteran defenceman’s toughness and smarts made them a better team.

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And the Flames are going to miss him off the ice, too, where he was a cherished teammate and friend.

And for a group of players who have been fighting tooth-and-nail to stay in the playoff race and have won four games in a row, it isn’t easy to see management trade away an important part of your team and get a prospect and draft picks in return.

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That’s a blow, plain and simple, even if Flames GM Craig Conroy’s decision to move Tanev was both understandable and necessary.

“Yeah, it’s disappointing obviously, for an older player who is signed here long-term, you never want to be part of a selling team,” Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar said. “You want to be on a buying team and, you know, a team and an organization that I still believe in to make the playoffs and ultimately a Stanley Cup.

“I know we’re not in the best spot, guys obviously have different feelings, but I still have a lot of time here, patience is obviously key, but just a bit disappointing to be part of a selling team for sure. I want to win, so I want to be part of a buying team.”

The reality for the Flames is that while they’re still in the playoff hunt, they’re not in a post-season position with the NHL trade deadline only a week away. And, as the Flames are all too aware, when your team is on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, pending unrestricted free agents are almost always going to be on the trade market.

“It’s how the league works. If you’re on an expiring deal and you’re out of the playoffs, it’s most likely you’re going to be traded,” Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson said. “You’ve been in the business long enough, it was similar when (Mark Giordano) left. You’ve just got to move on and stay in the present.

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“We’ve got to have a big night tomorrow with the (Miikka Kiprusoff jersey) retirement and Pittsburgh coming in, a team that’s as desperate as us. You’ve got to keep the morale up and everybody’s got to pick it up.”

That’s something the Flames have done a pretty good job with this season. They certainly didn’t bottom out when Nikita Zadorov was dealt to the Canucks and have gone 7-3 since Elias Lindholm, who ostensibly was their first-line centre, also was moved to Vancouver.

It’s entirely possible that there’s a point of no return here. You pull out enough Jenga blocks and the tower is going to collapse.

Maybe that was Tanev. Maybe it will be Noah Hanifin, who is sure to be moved in the next week, too.

But the Flames have to believe they can still make a playoff push and can respond to losing Tanev the way they did to the trades earlier in the season.

And they’ll approach their game the same way, with everybody trying to do a little bit more.

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“It’s opportunity for people, let’s be quite honest,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said. “There’s certain guys that (would) die for more ice time and certain guys to get themselves in the lineup. Whether it be an injury or somebody is removed from your team because of a trade, this is an opportunity for people.

“This is their chance to show ‘I deserve more minutes than what I’ve been getting’ or ‘I deserve to be in the lineup on a regular basis’ so that’s what it becomes: Fitting in with what we’re doing as a team and making sure we’re prepared for the opportunity that’s coming our way.”

daustin@postmedia.com

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