Is it a given that Tanev skates with Morgan Rielly come opening night or does it make sense to put him somewhere else?
Chris Tanev is, without question, the Toronto Maple Leafs' most prized acquisition this summer after the club signed the Toronto-born defenseman to a six-year deal worth $27 million.
A right-handed defenseman who can shut down the opposition like few can, it seems like a given that he would slot in to play on the right side of Morgan Rielly when training camp opens up in September, right?
The 34-old was a guest on Sportsnet 590's The FAN Pregame show with Justin Cuthbert and Ailish Forfar and was asked if he feels he would play alongside Rielly or replicate a similar role he occupied while with his most recent team, the Dallas Stars where he was mixed into the club's second pair alongside Esa Lindell instead of top D-man Miro Heiskanen
"That's going to be the coach's call at the end of the day. I've done both throughout my career," Tanev explained. "I feel like I've played a couple of years ago with Quinn Hughes (with the Vancouver Canucks). I played a lot with Noah Hanifin in Calgary (with the Flames) and then playing with Esa.
"I think those are sort of three different, different styles of players. And I think we all had success together during the times we played together."
It's Tanev's versatility and track record of success with different styles, among his many other attributes, that attracted Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving to sign the defenseman.
"I'm going to take a lot of D-zone face-offs against other teams' top players. I'm going to PK a lot. That's just sort of what my, my role in the league has evolved into," Tanev said.
In addition to his desire to play with elite talent like the Maple Leafs have in players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares, Tanev also admitted that his relationship with Treliving when both were with the Flames was a factor in his decision to sign in Toronto.
"He's an amazing man, stand-up guy and most importantly, he wants to win just as bad as I do," Tanev said of Treliving. "(It) definitely did factor in my decision for sure. I have a great relationship with Tre and I'm happy to be here and working for him again."
The Maple Leafs could very well start training camp with Rielly and Tanev paired together, but the good thing is the Leafs don't necessarily have to lock him in if he's needed in more of a shutdown pair role.
