Maple Leafs acquire negotiating rights for Chris Tanev

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired the contract rights to defenseman Chris Tanev in a trade with the Dallas Stars on Saturday in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick and young player Max Ellis.

Tanev, 34, becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and by securing his rights from Dallas now, the Maple Leafs have an exclusive opportunity to sign Tanev before he hits the open market.

Toronto rightly expected that Tanev would have multiple suitors as a free agent. The veteran is a coveted right-shot defenceman who would immediately take up a top position with the Maple Leafs. Toronto has been desperate to find a new partner for Morgan Rielly and Tanev could be the right fit to support Rielly in the Maple Leafs defence.

The Maple Leafs were also interested in acquiring Tanev at the March trade deadline, but we were able to get a deal done. Tanev was instead traded from Calgary to Dallas, where he scored one goal and five points in 19 regular season games, averaging nearly 20 minutes per game.

Toronto general manager Brad Treliving already has a history with Tanev from their time together with the Flames in 2020 until Treliving’s departure as Calgary general manager in 2023. Treliving spoke about his team’s re-signing at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas on Saturday, saying the Leafs wanted to “push their way forward” when it looked like Tanev would not re-sign with the Stars.

“He’s an elite defender,” Treliving said. “He’s an absolute warrior. He’s a culture bearer for your room. I know the player well. We’re going to work on a contract now and I’m happy to at least have the opportunity to speak to him directly.”

The Maple Leafs could sign Tanev, who hails from the Toronto area, for a maximum of seven years.