The Leafs acquired the rights to Tanev in a trade with the Dallas Stars nearing the end of the NHL Draft Saturday.
It’s official.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $27 million contract that carries an average annual value (AAV) of $4.5 million per season, the club announced Monday.
As reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the contract carries a full no-movement throughout, meaning the player cannot be waived, assigned to minors, or traded without approval. In addition to this contract note, Friedman mentioned the Tanev deal is approximately 80 percent in bonuses.
AFP Analytics was projecting a three-year, $13.44 million contract with an average annual value of $4.48 million a season for Tanev’s next deal. As we have come to know, Tanev’s new contract surpasses that by a significant margin.
Tanev has been high on Treliving's radar as far back as November of 2023, when the club tried to trade for the 14-year veteran in a package that included Nikita Zadorov. Along with Zadorov and veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Tanev has been viewed by the organization as one of the multiple defensive pieces that could benefit the club’s blueline this offseason.
After the club acquired his rights in a trade with the Dallas Stars nearing the end of the NHL Draft Saturday, they had a small window and negotiation period to get a deal done before the start of free agency, and well, mission accomplished.
With the signing of Tanev, PuckPedia.com is projecting the team has $8,455,333 left to spend under the $88 million salary cap in free agency Monday.
