Toronto Maple Leafs sign Chris Tanev to six-year, $4.5M AAV deal

A nice deal for a hometown player.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have signed defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $4.5 million contract.

It marks the largest cap hit in Tanev’s career, and it comes at the latter stages of his NHL tenure. He signed a five-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks in March 2015 that saw him make $4.45 million through 2020. The undrafted blueliner signed a four-year, $4.5 million AAV with the Calgary Flames in October 2020.

Tanev’s signing rights were acquired by the Maple Leafs on Saturday in a trade between them and the Dallas Stars. In the deal, the Stars received Max Ellis and a seventh-round pick in 2026. The Toronto native was acquired by Dallas in a three-team trade featuring the Flames and New Jersey Devils in late February, with the expectation that he would bolster their blueline for a deep playoff run.

The move paid off for both Tanev and the Stars. In his new digs, he continued to be a strong defensive presence, helping Dallas advance to the Western Conference Final for the second straight season. However, Dallas ultimately lost to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Leafs are just the fourth team that Tanev has been associated with. The 34-year-old spent 10 seasons with the Canucks, before spending the four-plus campaigns with the Flames. In 792 NHL games, Tanev has scored 33 goals and 157 assists, with a plus/minus of +122. He has averaged 19:59 of ice time for his entire career.

In 60 playoff games, the former RIT product has scored a goal and 12 assists with a +15 rating, playing an average of 20:23.

The signing gives the Leafs seven defensemen signed to their NHL roster for the 2024-25 season. With his cap hit, Tanev is the second-highest paid player at his position on the, trailing only alternate captain Morgan Rielly, who is making $7.5 million a year through the end of the 2029-30 season.

The team now has 36 players signed to standard player contracts for next season. According to CapFriendly, the Maple Leafs have a little over $7 million in projected cap space.