As the 2024 NHL Draft was winding down, the Toronto Maple Leafs were set to make the final pick when deputy commissioner Bill Daly took to the stage to announce a trade. The Dallas Stars have traded Chris Tanev’s signing rights to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Max Ellis and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
It had been widely talked about how the Maple Leafs were going to make a play on Tanev during free agency, especially after they attempted to acquire him at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Ultimately, they fell short of trading for him at the deadline, but now, ahead of their last pick in the draft, they secured Tanev’s signing rights and have the next 36 hours to work out a contract extension.
What Could an Extension Look Like?
The Maple Leafs and Tanev will likely work out a deal ahead of the July 1 deadline. However, it is worth noting that the agent for Tanev, Wade Arnott, told TSN’s Pierre LeBrun that they haven’t heard from the Maple Leafs about an extension but expect to hear soon.
There was also a tweet from TSN’s Darren Dreger that he expects the organization to offer Tanev a five-to-eight-year deal to lower the average annual value (AAV) to help them cap-wise and give them the chance to address other areas of need.
If this is true and the Maple Leafs offer Tanev a five-to-eight-year deal, the AAV would have to be around $2-3 million. The reasoning behind this would be that if he signed elsewhere for two years at $10 million, he’d still be getting the same amount of money if he were to sign for five years at $2 million. This is a contract structure strategy that the Tampa Bay Lightning have used with Nick Paul to help keep key players signed and improve their chances of winning. Considering that Tanev is from Toronto, he may be more than willing to sign this type of deal to play for his boyhood club. Tanev will quickly become the next Jake Muzzin for the…
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