Confirmed Trade: [TOR/DAL] Chris Tanev for Max Ellis, 2026 7th round pick

[biturbo19]

He's also on a expiring contract so really it was just to even out the contracts for the next few days

Is Toronto even that close to the contract limit though? Weird that would even matter.

 

[MaxDummy]

"Tax friendly markets" but, but, hfboards claims it isn't a factor.

According to popular player agent Alan Walsh either

 

[TheNumber4]

The pressure of 1967 will have Tanev trying his hardest and playing his best. And that is when he’s most likely to get injured. Unfortunate for the Leaf’s, but he probably won’t even be in position to suit up for the playoffs.

Didn’t want him for the Oil for this very reason. Add another year to his age and another injured playoff run. I can’t see this turning out well.

 

[mr figgles]

This unironically

Signing 34 year olds to crazy long deals is the new hotness in cap circumvention

Pfft Paul Holmgren was doing this years ago. Of course he did it with a slightly better Chris.

 

[conFABulator]

The pressure of 1967 will have Tanev trying his hardest and playing his best. And that is when he’s most likely to get injured. Unfortunate for the Leaf’s, but he probably won’t even be in position to suit up for the playoffs.

Didn’t want him for the Oil for this very reason. Add another year to his age and another injured playoff run. I can’t see this turning out well.

I don't disagree with the injury risk/likelihood...as a Leafs fan, I would very happy with a low AAV long term deal. I mean like six or seven years for $2.5M or $2.75M. Keep the cost down each year and LTIR the last 3 to 5 years.

He gets his money especially if we front end load it and we get him for a good number. Someone else said it, but this is a cap circumvention strategy that only works for people that sign a deal before they hit 35. Tanev is 34.

 

[TheNumber4]

I don't disagree with the injury risk/likelihood...as a Leafs fan, I would very happy with a low AAV long term deal. I mean like six or seven years for $2.5M or $2.75M. Keep the cost down each year and LTIR the last 3 to 5 years.

He gets his money especially if we front end load it and we get him for a good number. Someone else said it, but this is a cap circumvention strategy that only works for people that sign a deal before they hit 35. Tanev is 34.

With some LtIR cheat code it could be a good contract. Lots of term at his age though, but it makes sense if Leaf’s can pull it off.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

He’s still one of the best defensive dmen in the league. His body has been through hell though and he’s turning 35, so you never know when a sudden drop can happen. I still expect him to still be great for a couple years.

 

[Curufinwe]

Tanev gets beat to hell every season. If he’s still playing in 5 years I’d be shocked.

 

[Menzinger]

“The very obvious plan” still relies on a 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 year old Tanev being healthy and not declining. Did he not just literally miss Dallas’ last few games when he would have been most needed due to injury? And again, there is no way to guarantee a player will honor an “illegal” handshake agreement. When it comes time to hang them up, if they don’t want to, you think you can go to the league offices and say “but when we signed him to an 8 year deal he promised us he’d only play 5 of it!! How else were we supposed to manipulate the cap?!!”

You thinking this would be some master stroke from a team that historically hasn’t really made any, because of intangible “agreements” made years earlier is fairly optimistic.

Lupul, Murray, Muzzin...

Leafs have had their fair share of getting around deals of aging guys with health issues

 

[Curufinwe]

He's under 35 so can retire in a few years. Sign him max term front loaded to get the hit down and get him the amount of money he wants.

You can’t front load that much anymore. Gone are the days of Kovalchuk having five phony seasons at $550K tacked on.

 

[Curufinwe]

8 years would sure be something

It can’t be 8.

To get 8 years a player has to be on the team’s reserve list at the trade deadline.

 

[shortfuze]

You should probably look at getting out of the first round before talking about other teams.


Hopefully you guys can fluke your way to round 2 one of these years.

They literally just made the 2nd round last year. Yeesh!!

 

[conFABulator]

With some LtIR cheat code it could be a good contract. Lots of term at his age though, but it makes sense if Leaf’s can pull it off.

I really do think this is the play and then the rest of the league is going to be up in arms about it and then we will say...Vegas can do it, why not us?

 

[DitchMarner]

Although he's the type of defenseman the Leafs can use, I hope they don't give him an eight year deal or something like that.

They can use more offense from their defense as well. Hopefully they're not done improving their D.

 

[TheNumber4]

I really do think this is the play and then the rest of the league is going to be up in arms about it and then we will say...Vegas can do it, why not us?

You guys already got Robidas Island going, if no one is up in arms by now, you guys are probably in the clear.

 

[Aphid]

These types of additions by Toronto are annoying.

Every year it's the same thing with this team and why they constantly fail. Getting these well past their prime players who are done or were never really good to begin with. Marleau, Thornton, Giordano, etc...Then non-Leafs fans have to hear that *THIS* is the signing that'll put the Leafs over the edge. Cue the threads here of, "Tanev is coming to burn your villages", "Is Tanev the best D in the league?" etc...On top of that, even if you manage to ignore it on the boards, then you have to hear about it in the media constantly of how this is for sure what the Leafs needed and what a great addition blah blah blah. It goes on and on.

I don't know how Leafs fans even buy in to it or tolerate this anymore.

 

[joepeps]

I'd like him in Vancouver. Problem is Brad sucks as, a GM when it comes to contacts, especially for guys he's got a hard on for. It will be an ugly contract but that's not a knock on Tanev, I just have very little faith in Brad.

its all good... if its a bad contract, ill say the same... but if its short term that fine but even better if its 5-7 years at a low cap hit.

 

[Smif]

Put him in bubble wrap for the regular season, then just pray that he can get through the playoffs without getting knocked out of the lineup.

Listen, our bar is very low, if we get 7+ games oit of him in the playoffs we're happy.

 

[Curufinwe]

I really do think this is the play and then the rest of the league is going to be up in arms about it and then we will say...Vegas can do it, why not us?

They won’t because having an old player who’s cooked on your roster is a burden even if they’re on LTIR, compared to not having them on the roster.

This is why Hextall traded Pronger’s contract as soon as his salary dropped down to the minimum.

 

[shortfuze]

These types of additions by Toronto are annoying.

Every year it's the same thing with this team and why they constantly fail. Getting these well past their prime players who are done or were never really good to begin with. Marleau, Thornton, Giordano, etc...Then non-Leafs fans have to hear that *THIS* is the signing that'll put the Leafs over the edge. Cue the threads here of, "Tanev is coming to burn your villages", "Is Tanev the best D in the league?" etc...On top of that, even if you manage to ignore it on the boards, then you have to hear about it in the media constantly of how this is for sure what the Leafs needed and what a great addition blah blah blah. It goes on and on.

I don't know how Leafs fans even buy in to it or tolerate this anymore.

Which teams don’t have aging vets on their team?

 

[Space umpire]

How does it make less sense if you put any thought into it. You think they are expecting him to play the 6, 7 , 8 years of that deal? Of course not. It let's them add him for cheaper now and then he just goes to Robidas Island when he is done

You keep posting this. You do realize that would require a career ending injury.

 

[Strangle]

Yes, and 35 year olds with tons of miles on them and an injury history are guaranteed to be good in years 3-4-5 as well, right? And there’s a mechanism in the CBA to force a player to honor a 5 year old handshake agreement to retire in year 6? And somehow any of this has less risk than renting a 34 year old for one playoff run? Poor Leafs fans, always being picked on. Has nothing to do with their management just not being real good.

This sounds like Leaf fans rationalizing letting Hyman walk lol

So Toronto going to 7 years on a 34 year old to circumvent the cap?

With Tanevs injury history you just know he'll ride out multiple years on Robidas island.

Yes.

And hopefully they can find a reason to put Tavares on LTIR in March until game 1 of the playoffs

 

[Strangle]

We should only be look at 3-4 years max. Why anyone would sign a 35 year old more than that I dunno.

I’ll explain the idea:

Longer term brings the AAV down to $2.5 or $3m

The length of the deal is irrelevant, because Tanev won’t finish the contract. And when he LTIRetires, the cap comes off the books anyways.

So the only real metric here is how low the Leafs can get the AAV

 

[canadianmagpie]

Listen, our bar is very low, if we get 7+ games oit of him in the playoffs we're happy.

Surely you would be happy with 7+ games in the playoffs at all?

 

[Legion34]

According to popular player agent Alan Walsh either

Yes. Except he has his own podcast and he asked his money guy to back him up and he didn’t.