Leafs could make massive mistake by outbidding teams for Chris Tanev

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Noel Drolet
June 28, 2024 (9:45)

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Leafs at risk of overpaying aging defenseman to steal him from other teams.

After Chris Tanev's very strong showing on a new team, it seems like the market for him is still very much alive. Tanev is still an elite defensive defenseman at 34 years old and is most likely the best option for a defenseman in free agency.

There are many teams who have had an eye on him such as Nashville, Toronto, Ottawa or a re-signing with Dallas. All these teams would benefit greatly from the fit of Tanev, but the team that seems to be pushing the hardest is the Leafs.

This fit makes a lot of sense, since new Leafs GM Brad Treliving was the GM in Calgary when they traded for Tanev from the Canucks. Treliving is a big fan of Tanev's play style as a solid stay at home defender who is very rarely caught out of position.

This type of defender is exactly what the Leafs are looking for, which could end up spelling trouble for the team's pockets. The market for Tanev is still very much active so the Leafs have to seperate their deal from other teams, and reports show that they've done that by increasing the term of the deal.

Tanev is looking for a 4 year deal, which could end up aging very well for a team. Tanev is a player that when healthy, can end up aging really well into a contract because of his skill set being mostly based on his understanding of the game.

However, when you offer an injury prone 34 year old a 5+ year contract, all reports indicate that that could age very poorly. This move could end up being very risky for the Leafs as they look to outbid the Stars, who just bought out defenseman Ryan Suter to free cap space. It'll be incredibly interesting to keep an eye on Tanev and his next contract as teams look to fight it out over a proven impact player.