Flames' Tanev: Ex-teammate Hughes 'probably the best player' in NHL right now

Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev has some lofty praise for his former blue line partner Quinn Hughes.

"Right now, he is probably the best player in the league," Tanev said of the Vancouver Canucks captain prior to Thursday's meeting between the Pacific Division rivals, per the Calgary Sun's Wes Gilbertson.

"If you watch him play right now, he has the puck the whole game," Tanev continued. "He controls a lot of the game. ... He's so smart out there. There are guys who are one step ahead of everyone, but I feel like he is two steps ahead of everyone. And just how he skates, how he uses his edges, he is able to create so much space for himself."

The 33-year-old veteran is familiar with Hughes' game. The duo served as Vancouver's busiest pairing during Hughes' rookie campaign in 2019-20, logging over 700 minutes together at five-on-five, per Evolving-Hockey. That partnership was short-lived, though, as Tanev signed with the Flames as an unrestricted free agent during the 2020 offseason.

Still, Tanev recognized Hughes' sky-high potential quickly.

"I think when I left (Vancouver), I said I thought he was going to be the best defenseman in the league at some point," he said. "He's playing like that right now, for sure."

Hughes has dominated on both ends of the ice through the early goings of the 2023-24 campaign and is seen as a realistic candidate for both the Hart and Norris trophies.

Entering Thursday's action, Hughes was one of three Canucks leading the league in offensive production with 26 points. He has six goals and 20 assists through 16 games while leading Vancouver in average ice time (24:21).

The 24-year-old is also a team-high plus-18, and the Canucks have outscored opponents 20-7 with him on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. Hughes was not on the ice for a goal against at even strength until his fifth game of the season.

Hughes has spent the bulk of his five-on-five ice time with Filip Hronek this campaign. The duo is dictating 72.9% of the goals and 54.7% of the expected goals in just over 200 minutes together, per Evolving-Hockey.

Tanev spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Canucks and is in the midst of his fourth campaign with the Flames. A pending unrestricted free agent, Calgary is reportedly willing to listen to offers for Tanev's services, as well as other players on expiring deals, such as Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, and Noah Hanifin.

The Canucks are apparently among the teams interested in prying Zadorov - a 6-foot-6 defenseman - away from the Flames.