'A non-negotiable': Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson leads ...
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These former teammates are going toe-to-toe. Or, in this case, shin-pad to shin-pad.
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And while Calgary Flames workhorse Rasmus Andersson is right now leading the NHL in blocked shots, he doesn’t expect his old buddy to be spending very long in his rearview mirror.
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Chris Tanev has, after all, made a career out of collecting contusions by sacrificing his body in front of 90 m.p.h. slappers.
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“Yeah, I probably won’t be beating him,” Andersson said. “That’s kind of his specialty, and he is really good at it.
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“I take a lot of pride in it, too, but dethroning Chris on it will be pretty tough.”
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Maybe so. But it’s worth noting that Tanev, who signed this summer with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, is currently sitting second out of 715 players on the league shot-blocking charts.
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During Monday’s 4-3 loss in Ottawa, the 28-year-old Andersson dead-ended four more shots before they could reach rookie netminder Dustin Wolf. The Flames’ top-pairing defenceman has now racked up 72 blocks this fall.
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Tanev, meanwhile, has been credited with 68. Heading into Tuesday’s action around the loop, New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba was third on this mettle podium — see what we did there? — at 61.
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“I always say it’s a non-negotiable, and I have been lucky enough that it’s hit me quite a few times this year,” Andersson told Postmedia before the Flames departed on their current road trip. “You just try to be in the right spot, and we do block quite a bit of shots around here, especially when you’re on the penalty kill. A lot of teams are trying to shoot from up top against us, and I try to just front it and it’s been hitting me quite a bit. And then it’s a lot of one-on-ones. When you play shooters, you have your stick in the lane and you get those too.
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“You just try to be in the right spot and do the right thing. It can be uncomfortable at times, but it feels good too when you eat one from a good player.”
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Tanev, whose selfless style made him a fan favourite during his own stint at the Saddledome, isn’t the least bit surprised to see that Andersson is repelling all that rubber. As the 34-year-old told Postmedia in Toronto: “Especially in the system that they play, where the D are by the net a lot, you have to front a lot of pucks. He’s really good at that.”
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In their four winters together in Calgary, Tanev watched Andersson consistently boost his block totals — from 68 in the pandemic-shortened campaign to 125 and 136 and then to 186 in 2023-24.
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He’s currently on pace for 260-some this season.
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“That wasn’t Ras initially, when we first started together (in Stockton),” said Flames bench boss Ryan Huska. “But that goes a little bit to the people you’re around, as well. So when you watch how important a player like Chris Tanev is in regards to doing whatever he has to do to help the team win, it rubs off on people that are around you.
