Tanev had completed his second season with Pittsburgh after signing a six-year contract with an average annual value of $3.5 million on July 1, 2019. When Brandon first told his father Mike about the deal, the elder Tanev made quite an astute prediction.
"I know Pittsburgh for being a sports town, as a blue-collar town," said Mike, a car broker based out of the Toronto area. "So when he told me he was going to sign there, I said, they're going to love you. They don't know you, they hate you and they hate the contract right now, but once they see you play a couple of times and they get what you do, they're going to like you. Because that's Pittsburgh. That's what they like."
And sure enough, Tanev quickly won everybody over with his energy, enthusiasm and passion. The defensively responsible forward became a cult hero, fan favorite and popular teammate during his time in Pittsburgh, where he collected 18 goals and 41 points in 100 regular-season games for the Penguins.
"I had a great time in Pittsburgh," Tanev told reporters after the announcement. "The city, the fans, everybody in Pittsburgh treated me extremely well. My time there was awesome. It was a great time to be a part of the Penguins organization. I can't thank the organization enough, everybody involved, the city, the fans were putting me in a position to succeed. I'm going to truly remember Pittsburgh."
Tanev, who was in Seattle for the unveiling of the roster, has already began endearing himself to his new fanbase. As he was being interviewed onstage during the roster unveiling,
