Maple Leafs, defenseman Chris Tanev reach 6-year contract

Chris Tanev and the Toronto Maple Leafs agreed to a six-year contract worth $4.5 million annually just days after the defenseman's rights were traded to his hometown team.

Tanev, who was a pending unrestricted free agent, had his rights traded by the Dallas Stars to the Leafs on Saturday for a 2026 seventh-round pick and prospect forward Max Ellis.

Getting his rights allowed the Leafs to have an exclusive window to get a deal done with Tanev before he could reach the open market with free agency set to start at noon ET.

Strengthening the Leafs' defense within the confines of having three players who make more than $10 million annually has been a challenge over the past few seasons. That number was pushed to four starting with the 2024-25 season with William Nylander's eight-year extension worth $11.5 million annually kicking in.

One of the objectives facing the Leafs this offseason was trying to find a right-handed shot who could complement Morgan Rielly to give them a new look on their top defensive pairing.

Adding Tanev accomplishes that goal.

Tanev, 34, gives the Leafs that top-pairing, right-handed shot defenseman whose prowess as a more defensive-minded player works in tandem with Reilly, a puck-mover who finished with seven goals and 58 points in 72 games last season.

The Leafs should also receive offensive contributions from Tanev, who has had 11 straight seasons of more than 10 points.

Figuring out what would happen with Tanev was a big question facing the Stars after they were eliminated from the Western Conference final by the Edmonton Oilers.

The Stars came into Monday with just two defensemen under contract.  Thomas Harley is a pending restricted free agent who received a qualifying offer Sunday.

As for the Leafs, signing Tanev gives them seven defensemen under contract while having what CapFriendly projects as $7.58 million in available cap space.