Report: Stars express strong interest in Flames' Tanev

The list of teams pursuing Chris Tanev continues to grow, as the Dallas Stars have shown strong interest in the Calgary Flames defenseman, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Stars general manager Jim Nill wouldn't confirm that specifically, but he did acknowledge that he's eyeing an upgrade at the position.

"We've got a solid 13 forwards up top already, and then I know I've got a bunch of young guys down below," Nill told LeBrun. "Defense, you can never have enough defensemen. So that's something we're looking at. What's the cost of acquisition - what's the asset cost? That's what we're monitoring right now."

The Stars have been known for their defensive play in recent years, but this season has been a different story. They entered Monday ranked fourth in goals per game but tied for 12th in goals against per contest.

"That's why I don't think we've reached our best performance yet," Nill said. "I still think there's another level we can go to. That's finding the balance between offense and defense. We've been a pretty dynamic team offensively, but we know if we're going to have success in the playoffs, we have to tighten up defensively."

Tanev is one of the hottest commodities as the March 8 deadline approaches. The pending unrestricted free agent can invoke a 10-team no-trade list, but the Flames have already shipped out forward Elias Lindholm and may ultimately do the same with blue-liner Noah Hanifin.

The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly been interested in acquiring Tanev. The rugged defense-first rearguard has a $4.5-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.