The Toronto Maple Leafs have identified their biggest issues throughout the years, and it's no surprise that general manager Brad Treliving has come to the conclusion that his team needs some help with its defense. To that end, the Maple Leafs are very likely to pursue right shot defenseman Chris Tanev at the start of free agency July 1.
Tanev was traded by the Calgary Flames to the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline last season, and he was considered one of the most valuable trade assets around the NHL at the time. Tanev plays a physical hitting game from his spot on the blue line and he is often able to make opponents pay a punishing price when they confront his area of the ice. The Leafs clearly need tougher and more physical players to go with their highly skilled offensive talent.
Toronto's long-suffering fans have been waiting for a championship team since the pre-expansion season of 1966-67. That's the last year that Toronto won the Stanley Cup. In recent years, their outstanding regular-season play has preceded early exits in the postseason.
They were beaten by the Boston Bruins in the opening round this season, losing in overtime of the seventh game when David Pastrnak zipped through the Toronto defensive zone, collected a pass and tucked home the series winner.
Adding a punishing defenseman like Tanev could put fear into the hearts of opposing forwards when they are trying to knife through the Toronto zone.
Insider reports Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving would like Chris Tanev or Nikita Zadorov
Tanev is the rarest of physical players because he will play with a bit of an edge but he won't go over the line and commit penalties in order to slow down his opponents. He scored two goals and 17 assists for the Flames and Stars last season but he only had 24 penalty minutes. If the Maple Leafs were able to land him, his ability to stay out of the box while putting his defensive imprint on the game would be a big bonus for Toronto.
In addition to Treliving's interest in Tanev, he also has his eye on defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The 6-6, 248-pounder split his time last year between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks. He scored 6 goals and 14 assists for the two teams and he had 125 penalty minutes.
Insider Darren Dreger says that both of those defensemen are on Treliving's radar. “If Toronto had a choice, it would be Tanev, and I think it would be Zadorov as well,” said Dreger. “Toronto has scoured that right-shot market. Again, in a best-case scenario, given some of the other options that appear to be headed in a different direction, it seems more likely it would be Tanev and Zadorov.”
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said Friday the club will not be bringing back Zadorov, and that could result in multiple offers for the king-sized blue liner.
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