Appreciating the Brandon Tanev signing

One reality of being a small market NHL team is that you aren’t going to be landing the big fish in Free Agency. That’s something the Winnipeg Jets are fully aware of and something that they have fully embraced. It’s been well documented how the Jets have drafted and developed the foundation of their team. And a huge part of their prospect development has also been the prospects they’ve acquired from other places. 

Players such as Marko Dano (acquired from the Andrew Ladd deal) or Joel Armia and Jack Roslovic (acquired from the Evander Kane deal), the Jets have found a way to acquire promising prospects in other ways besides drafting them themselves.

Another way to find talent is to sign undrafted rookies. This is a hard way to find an effective player, but the Jets may have found a diamond in the rough in Brandon Tanev.

Not enough credit is given to the 24 year-old undrafted rookie. 

Tanev won’t blow you away with his offensive toolbox and he surely won’t finish anywhere near the top of his teams scoring, because that’s not what Brandon Tanev is all about. What makes Tanev an exciting player is the things he can do in a bottom six role.

Remember, it was reported at least a dozen NHL teams were pursuing the Providence college grad when he decided to turn pro last spring. The Jets won the bidding war and you should thank Kevin Cheveldayoff for that. It’s impressive that Winnipeg could win a bidding war like that because in reality, the Jets aren’t the most desirable destination (when looking across the league).

For a player that has spent most of the season on Winnipeg’s third and fourth line, it’s surprising that Tanev hasn’t seen any time in the press box. When looking at the different type of combinations Paul Maurice can work with, he’s yet to put Tanev in the press box, and he likely never will. Having a young, speedy and defensively responsible forward like Tanev is invaluable and that’s why without hesitation, Tanev has suited up for all of the Jets 26 games. 

In a game against the Red Wings on November 4th, Tanev scored the first two goals of his career and displayed an offensive component to his game that we rarely saw displayed in his 12 minutes of ice time he gets a night. 

The reality is, the NHL is evolving in to a game dominated by foot speed. That even goes for the fourth line players, you don’t typically see many enforcers still occupying spots on NHL rosters. Tanev represents the modern day fourth line player. Providing intensity and energy in many facets, not just fisticuffs. 

But that’s not to say Tanev can’t hold his own in a fight.

Tanev’s style of play may not get appreciated enough for a variety of reasons. He doesn’t light the lamp often and he may not appeal to the traditional hockey fan. But before long, Tanev could emerge as a fan favourite to Jets fans. 

With the way he plays, he’s probably pretty popular amongst his teammates in the Jets dressing room.