Chris Tanev Officially Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs

Chris Tanev Officially Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs

Officially Chris Tanev is now a Toronto Maple Leafs player. This is a major move for a team that has cried out for right-handed defensemen for a long while. As a hometown kid, he took a very nice deal for Brad Treliving. It is six years and $27 million in total to go with a no-trade clause. Elliotte Friedman confirmed the news of the contract but check out how the former Stars defenseman grades out according to JFresh:

Chris Tanev, signed 6x$4.5M by TOR, is a high-end defence-first veteran defenceman who combines stabilizing play in his own end with excellent puck-moving skill. Sacrifices the body to block shots and plays through pain. Was terrific in the 2024 playoffs. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/d5rZLuN8YB

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2024

This is a severe area of need for Toronto and you could argue that there is no better way to address it. Tanev is a playoff warrior and will make the job of whoever he pairs with much, much easier. After adding him and bringing back both Max Domi and Timothy Lilijegren, the Leafs have $7.58 million remaining in cap space. Their focus now is on adding a goalie and depth forwards. However, do not be surprised if they dip back in for another defenseman like Brandon Montour. Treliving started this offseason with a bang and it’s absolutely possible he pulls off a huge summer for Toronto.

Missed On Mitch

The other elephant in the room is Mitch Marner. Some hypothesized that a trade would happen before or during the draft for their star forward but nothing materialized. His $10.9 million salary would open up completely new doors for this summer depending on the return. As of now it looks more likely he will stay but you can obviously not rule a blockbuster out.

Once again, the Atlantic Division is going to be an absolute bloodbath. Toronto is chasing both the cup champion Panthers and a Tampa team that just added Jake Guentzel. This is without Boston flexing their muscles with oodles of cap space and Detroit trying to keep the Yzerplan alive.

Sam Reinhart Inks 8-Year Extension With Panthers

The Toronto Maple Leafs won one of the biggest fishes on the free agent market. Chris Tanev is coming home and giving them a push for a Stanley Cup.

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