Chris Tanev
Chris Tanev is right handed and he’s one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL. That doesn’t mean he’s a stay-at-home defenseman who hits everything that moves like Roman Polak. What it means is that he is a puck-moving defenseman who puts up insane advanced stats in a primarily defensive way.
Tanev has been injured a lot in the past, but I don’t think that should stop the Leafs from pursuing him. He’s the ideal partner for Morgan Rielly because he plays a game that would perfectly compliment the Leafs young potential captain.
Injuries can occur at anytime when you play a game that involves trying to run on razor blades while carrying a six foot piece of lumber and doing it on ice while encouraged to hit and fight your opponents. Not to mention that a vulcanized rubber puck that can be shot over 100 MPH is loose at all times.
Tanev does seem to miss a lot of time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s ‘injury prone’ it just means he’s had some bad luck.
Some of his injuries include an injured thumb (you can’t be prone to thumb injuries) and a broken leg from blocking a shot (that just happens, he is not prone to breaking his legs). He missed several games with a groin injury (happened once, he does not have chronic groin issues) and another bunch of games when he took a puck in the face (also not something you can be prone to).
Someone in the NHL is bound to be the ‘bad luck injury guy’ and it seems it has been Tanev. But he doesn’t have any chronic back or knee problems, his injuries are just the random flukey kind that could happen to anyone.
He’s got two seasons on his contract and acquiring him should be a priority for the Leafs as he would be a perfect fit.