Maple Leafs ink Tanev to 6-year pact with $4.5M AAV

The Toronto Maple Leafs and free-agent defenseman Chris Tanev agreed to a six-year contract worth an average annual value of $4.5 million, the team announced Monday.

The contract includes a full no-movement clause.

Toronto acquired Tanev's signing rights from the Dallas Stars on Saturday for a 2026 seventh-round pick and restricted free-agent forward Max Ellis.

The 34-year-old played 75 games last season split between the Stars and Calgary Flames, recording 19 points and a plus-24 rating. He played 19:41 per contest.

Tanev's role increased in the postseason, where he averaged 22:18 in the Stars' 19 playoff games.

The rearguard is highly regarded for his defensive ability and fearlessness. Tanev's 6.6 defensive goals above replacement ranked 14th among all NHL defenders, per Evolving-Hockey, which would've led the Maple Leafs. His 207 blocks were third league-wide and 48 more than the top Toronto player, TJ Brodie.

Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving signed Tanev as a free agent with the Flames in October 2020.

Toronto has $7.6 million of cap space, according to CapFriendly.