Chris Tanev trade grade: Who got the better of the deal between Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars

The Toronto Maple Leafs hit a home run by acquiring the rights to Chris Tanev from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a late-round draft pick and a prospect.

The trade, as reported by The Athletic, involves the rights to the impending free-agent defenseman as it seems the Stars have given up trying to re-sign him.

Instead of letting Tanev walk away for nothing, the Stars get Toronto’s 2026 seventh-round pick and the contract of prospect Max Ellis. The latter played with the AHL Toronto Marlies this past season. The 24-year-old is set to become a free agent unless Dallas can re-sign him to an extension.

Overall, this deal looks like the Stars tried their best to salvage something from Chris Tanev‘s apparent departure. Tanev had been linked to the Maple Leafs for weeks, particularly after the Stars were eliminated in the Conference Final.

Meanwhile, the Leafs tried to acquire Tanev at the trade deadline from the Calgary Flames. While it is unknown specifically what the Leafs offered in exchange for Tanev, the Flames preferred to deal the blue liner to Dallas.

Now, the Leafs hold exclusive negotiating rights to Tanev until July 1. The Leafs could potentially sign Tanev to an extension before July 1, or wait till free agency officially opens to sign a brand-new deal.

However, there’s another key significance to acquiring Tanev’s rights: The Leafs could offer him the maximum eight-year deal as allowed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Under CBA rules, teams can sign free agents to a maximum seven-year deal.

The speculation is that the Leafs could sign the 34-year-old to a longer-term deal in order to lower his overall annual cap hit, helping the Leafs manage their cap constraints.

If that's the case, the Leafs could have made one of the biggest deals of this offseason.

Assessing a deal between Chris Tanev and the Toronto Maple Leafs

TSN reported insider Pierre LeBrun’s comments regarding a possible contract between Tanev and the Maple Leafs. In particular, LeBrun stated that there was no deal in place between Tanev and the Leafs at this time.

LeBrun posted the following on X:

"Chris Tanev’s agent Wade Arnott says there is no agreement at the moment with the Leafs. They haven’t spoken yet. Toronto just acquired his rights so obviously. Arnott expects to hear soon from the Leafs."

The comments make sense as the Leafs cannot officially contact Tanev and his representatives before July 1. As such, acquiring Tanev’s rights allows the Leafs to deal exclusively with Tanev and his agent.

Additionally, TSN reports insider Darren Dreger’s comments, where he says that Tanev is looking for a deal between five and eight years. If that’s indeed the case, the Leafs could go the max term, especially if it means getting Tanev at a lower cap hit.

Ultimately, this deal is an A+ for the Maple Leafs. The Leafs get a defenseman they have coveted for a long time. The price is essentially a seventh-round pick, allowing the club exclusive access to a sought-after free agent before he goes to market.

If the Leafs can sign Tanev to a team-friendly, albeit long-term deal, GM Brad Treliving would have pulled off one of the savviest moves in his career.