{"id":985727,"date":"2019-11-15T09:03:27","date_gmt":"2019-11-15T14:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/?p=985727"},"modified":"2022-01-08T13:49:49","modified_gmt":"2022-01-08T17:49:49","slug":"brandon-tanevs-impact-p1b1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/brandon-tanevs-impact-p1b1\/","title":{"rendered":"Brandon Tanev’s Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Brandon<\/a>
Photo Credit: Peter Diana\/Post-Gazette<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s call a spade a spade and get something out of the way here early so it doesn\u2019t get twisted:<\/p>\n

Brandon Tanev has been really damn good for the Penguins.<\/p>\n

So when GM Jim Rutherford sat down with The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> Josh Yohe to discuss the current state of the union, it\u2019s no surprise that the past two July 1sts came up in discussion.<\/p>\n

Since we\u2019re here to talk Tanev, let\u2019s talk Tanev, with Rutherford (and Yohe) having this to say:<\/p>\n

Rutherford received considerable criticism from members of the fan base, and some members of the media, for giving Tanev a six-year contract. The general manager delivered a message Wednesday to anyone who disliked the deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s an important player for us,\u201d Rutherford said. \u201cWe talked about getting that energy back into the lineup, the energy we were missing. Speed. A team player. That\u2019s what he is, that\u2019s what he\u2019s done. You know, it\u2019s easy to sit back and talk about contracts, how much money they are, how long they are. But at the end of the day, if you don\u2019t give the player in free agency what they\u2019re looking for at what the going rate is, guess what? You don\u2019t have the player. So, we could be sitting here right now without him, talking about, \u2018We could use a player, maybe someone like Brandon Tanev.\u2019 Or, we could just have him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rutherford is completely pleased with the free agent pickup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not nervous about the length of his contract at all,\u201d Rutherford said. \u201cTime will tell, but I feel very good about this guy. He\u2019s a really good player, and he keeps himself in great shape. He\u2019s young. I think he\u2019s going to be very good for us for a long time.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now, you don\u2019t need me to tell you about aging in the NHL and the impact it has on long term contracts. There\u2019s plenty of evidence out there showing just that. Just ask the Islanders<\/a> about it. Or the Oilers<\/a>. Or the Flames.<\/a>\u00a0Or the Sabres, Red Wings, Canucks<\/a>, Bruins<\/a>, and Panthers.<\/p>\n

\n

July 1st, 2016:<\/p>\n

Milan Lucic: 7 years, $42M
Kyle Okposo: 7 years, $42M
Andrew Ladd: 7 years, $38.5M
Loui Eriksson: 6 years, $36M
Frans Nielsen: 6 years, $31.5M
David Backes: 5 years, $30M
Darren Helm: 5 years, $19.25M
Troy Brouwer: 4 years, $18M
James Reimer: 5 years, $17M<\/p>\n

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) November 14, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n