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The Toronto Maple Leafs signed former Dallas Stars defenseman Chris Tanev to the sixth-largest contract of the offseason.
According to Toronto Star insider Nick Kypreos, the Maple Leafs beat all other franchises trying to sign the blueliner with a longer term and they also outbid the Stars by $12 total million.
“Give credit to [Maple Leafs GM Brad] Treliving (…) He finally landed Tanev with a six-year, $27-million contract after failing to acquire him multiple times at the trade deadline,” Kypreos wrote. “While many other teams were willing to pay Tanev a higher salary with shorter term, he found a way to get the deal done.”
Later in his article, Kypreos revealed the Stars only offered Tanev $15 million over three years for an annual average value of $5 million. The Leafs’ offer didn’t match that AAV as it averages to a salary of $4.5 million per year, but the total money was too much for Tanev to pass on.
Scott Maxwell of Daily Faceoff, however, included Tanev’s contract with Toronto among the “Honorable Mentions” for the ‘worst contracts’ signed in 2024.
“Not a bad addition, but the contract is enough above market value that it doesn’t feel like a win,” Maxwell wrote. “Chris Tanev, in a vacuum, is the perfect add for the Leafs to help their defensive issues, but signing a 34 year old to a six-year deal is insane.
“Sure, it can be LTIRed down the road if he gets hurt, but signing someone to a long-term deal in the hopes that he doesn’t play the full term out isn’t really the big-brained move a lot of Leafs fans seem to think it is.”
Chris Tanev’s Signing Labeled ‘Risky’
Toronto secured Tanev a few hours before the opening of free agency by trading for his negotiating rights with the Dallas Stars, then signing him to a large six-year, $27 million contract that runs through his age-40 season.
Tanev is already 34 years old and comes with injury concerns attached to his name and resume. That, in the eyes of NHL insider Chris Johnston, makes Tanev a ‘risky’ signing.
“The contract is long and risky. But, this was exactly the type of player the Leafs needed and exactly the one who was available,” Johnston said on The Chris Johnston Show on July 4. “Assuming health, which you can’t always assume health for a 34-year-old who has had a series of injuries, I like it short-term for the Leafs for sure.”
Leafs GM Treliving was excited about signing his former blueliner to his current team without much concern for his age.
“He’s just an elite defensive player. You know, we talk about offensive players seeing plays early. He does the same thing but on the defensive side of the puck,” Treliving said, per Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com. “An absolute warrior. He’s a culture carrier for your room.
“Listen, I know the age he’s at. But I think even in the last year he showed he’s one of the top shutdown defensemen, one of the top defensive players, in the League. And he’s a right shot. He embodies everything you want in a teammate.
“It’s exciting. A hell of a player. Tremendous person. He’ll be a big part of our group if we can get it all put together.”
Did Maple Leafs Offer Too Much Term To Chris Tanev?
Tanev has racked up 792 regular-season appearances since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in the 2010-11 season. Tanev scored 190 points in all those games, split into 33 goals and 157 assists.
The production is undeniable, but Tanev’s age and the six-year contract the Leafs signed him to have raised concerns among many analysts.
Ruper McDonald of The Hockey Writers labeled Tanev’s signing as “the most exciting addition” to the Maple Leafs on July 5. He noted, however, that “the terms of his contract are concerning.”
Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic expressed a similar opinion on July 1 when analyzing the Maple Leafs’ contract offer to Tanev.
“At $4.5 million, Leafs fans should be ecstatic. For now, anyway,” Luszczyszyn wrote. “Six years is a long time for any free agent. Six years is a very long time for a soon-to-be-35-year-old shutdown defenseman.
“Father Time can strike at any point here making this contract a disaster in waiting.”
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