A player who can only be described as an absolute warrior Chris Tanev had another season where he laid everything on the line for his team to try and win a championship. Unfortunately for both Tanev – and the team – he suffered a couple of significant injuries (torn labrum, dislocated shoulder) that require off-season surgery to repair.
Make no mistake, a healthy Chris Tanev playing in a premier shutdown role would have had a significant impact on the outcome of the series against the Edmonton Oilers. Would it have had them win – we’ll never get to know for sure – but even an injured Tanev was the Flames’ most consistent defenceman.