Yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded for the rights to defenceman Chris Tanev, and have now completed a contract to sign him for six years.
Already 34 years old and with a significant injury history, many fans are extremely skeptical about the term and salary attached to the contract. This contract will likely age extremely poorly with Tanev likely on the LTIR permanently in a few years, but for now, the Leafs got one of the best right shot defensive defenceman in the NHL.
According to insider Frank Seravalli, the NHL may end up investigating the Toronto Maple Leafs for this contract. If the Leafs added term to the deal without the expectation that Tanev would really be able to play, the League may penalize the Leafs for salary cap circumvention. Seravalli posted this yesterday, and the Leafs contract lines up exactly with his statement. In a few years, this contract could really come back to bite Toronto.
The Leafs had long wanted Chris Tanev as the right shot defenceman to pair with Morgan Rielly, and those defenceman always come at a premium cost. Hopefully the Leafs can find a way to break through the playoffs while Tanev is still playing.
