Chris Tanev cost just $4.5 million against the Calgary Flames’ salary cap during the 2020–21 season. His play was worth a lot more.
Tanev seamlessly replaced the departed TJ Brodie in his first go-round with the Flames, logging nearly 22 minutes per game while posting some of the best defensive results in the entire NHL.
He formed a rock-solid pair with Noah Hanifin and maintained his excellent play even as he dealt with multiple injuries near the season’s conclusion. (Why Tanev continued to play through such ailments during the largely meaningless stretch run of a lost year is anybody’s guess).