After three complete seasons, the Seattle Kraken have traded forward Brandon Tanev to the Winnipeg Jets. The veteran forward is headed to Manitoba in exchange for a second-round in the 2027 NHL Draft. This news was broken by TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Brandon Tanev Traded to Winnipeg Jets
An undrafted free agent signed out of Providence of the NCAA, Tanev has spent almost a decade in the NHL. After first signing with the Winnipeg Jets, he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins for six years. His time in Pittsburgh would be cut short, however, as the Kraken swooped in to claim him during the expansion draft in 2021.
He has mostly played in a bottom-six role but has been pretty effective. Tanev plays a fast and physical game with a knack for killing penalties and an ability to chip in some on the score sheet. He won’t jump off the page offensively but did manage to score 16 goals in 2022-23.
Sometimes players like Tanev make a name for themselves by coming in undrafted and showing they don’t mind putting in the work to secure a place on the roster. And that is what he has done. Tanev’s brother, Chris Tanev, is a defenceman with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is one of the NHL’s top defensive defencemen. But maybe Tanev is most famous for his NHL headshots each year where he looks like he’s seen a ghost.
What This Means
As a pending UFA, the Kraken looked to recoup assets to continue growing forward in exchange for the 33-year-old Tanev. He is definitely a player that positively impacts a locker room and the Kraken will miss that. But with them looking more to the future than the immediate present, the time was right to move him.
Meanwhile, Tanev will bring with him speed, physicality and depth that can go a long way in a push for a Stanley Cup. Many times it is these gritty players that move the needle for teams. It’ll be different but Tanev should be a very helpful piece moving through the end of the year.
This move gives Winnipeg some depth down the middle. Tanev is a veteran that can help out this group with high aspirations.
Main Photo Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
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