Breaking down the Toronto Maple Leafs 2024-25 Blue-Line

Chris Tanev

Of the 138 defenseman who played 1000 5v5 minutes last year, Tanev ranked 25th in Expected Goals Percentage, and he'd rank even higher if you eliminated all the third-pairing guys ahead of him.

Tanev is the NHL's premier defensive defenseman and he can move the puck quite well too. If not for the fact that he's 34 years-old and playing in a league where players tend to fall hard and fast once they hit 30, the Leafs would have the legitamate number-one guy I complained in the Rielly slide that they are missing.

It was still worth the risk to sign him, but after TJ Brodie went from a Star to a Replacement Player in the span of six months, it's hard to trust an old defenseman.

In the best case scenario, he ages like Zdeno Chara and continues to be an elite NHL number-one defenseman, while Morgan Rielly has his best season, completely rejuvenated by finally having a good partner.

In the worst case scenario, he gets injured in training camp and barely contributes anything due to the fact he's one of the oldest good players in the NHL.

It's impossible to evaluate Tanev. Maybe the Leafs got the most impactful player who changed teams this off-season and maybe this was Brad's worst move yet. Undercutting all of this is that Tanev doesn't really have the offense to be a truly elite defender. He has a career high 28 points

If healthy, and if he doesn't decline, Tanev provides the abilty to break up plays, and the abilty to move the puck. Unlike most other defensive defenders, he doesn't tend to get hemmed in his own zone and he actually has value to his team at 5v5. He breaks up rushes, he starts rushes, and he makes the team extremely hard to play against because 6'2 200 lbs and mean as hell.

Five years ago, Rielly-Tanev is the top pairing in the entire NHL, outside of Colorado, at least. Today, it's a toss up. They might be great, and they might not be.