When it comes Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev, you know exactly what you are getting every night when he takes the ice. As one of the top defensive defenders in the league, Tanev would smother the opposition with elite positioning, sacrifice his body with key blocks, and play a smart, physical hockey game in helping the team to much success.
Unfortunately, that was exactly what the Maple Leafs truly missed during their disappointing 2025-26 NHL campaign as Tanev was sidelined due to injuries in all but 11 games this past season. It is definitely hard to accurately assess exactly how well he actually did in 2025-26 given the limited playing time. But one thing is for sure, without Tanev anchoring the Leafs blue line, the Toronto defense had one of its worst showings in years.
Chris Tanev's stats
When healthy, Tanev was paired with Jake McCabe to form the top shutdown pair for the Maple Leafs. As a result, the 36-year-old veteran wasn’t expected to contribute much offensively as his main focus was to prevent the opposition from getting any good scoring opportunities. So Tanev’s two assists in 11 games was still on pace for his usual 10-20 point output per season. However, due to frequent injuries, hi 17:58 average ice time per game was his lowest since 2012-13 back when he was still with the Vancouver Canucks.
Moreover, looking at some of the underlying stats, Tanev actually struggled a bit when he did play, posting a less-than-stellar 46.4 CF%, 43% expected goals rate and 43.9% scoring chances rate in 5-on-5 situations, tilting the ice in the opponents favour often. Nevertheless, his plus-minus of +8 that led the entire Maple Leafs squad still showed that despite the struggles, somehow he managed to keep the goal differential in the Leafs favour, which was most important.
Did Tanev live up to expectations?
Let’s just say when Tanev did dress up for the Leafs this past season, they did better overall than without his services. In his 11 games of action, Toronto went 6-3-2 while outscoring the opposition 44-38. Tanev may not have been 100%, especially following his concussion injury, but when he took the ice for the Maple Leafs, he sure gave it his all.
So the 36-year-old defenseman still did his part in those 11 games. But by not being able to play in the other 71 games with the Leafs, the team certainly failed to meet expectations as a whole as a result.
What do we expect from Tanev next season?
That will surely come with some uncertainty following his forgettable 2025-26 season. At age 36, Tanev isn’t getting any younger. Added to the rash of injuries from last season, one has to wonder how much more his body can still take with the rigours of a physical hockey game going forward.
If Tanev heals up properly and returns to full health for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign, he should still be a force on the Leafs blue line at least for another season. But to preserve his effective, given the wear and tear his body takes given the style of game he plays, some workload management should be utilized as a result.
However, if Tanev has some unforeseen lingering issues that prevent him from playing at his best going forward, the Leafs could be heading towards Jake Muzzin territory where the 36-year-old veteran may have to ponder about retirement if it is for the best for his health and family. Hopefully, we will get to see Tanev back in action and doing the things he does best once again as the Maple Leafs look to bounce back in a redemption year in 2026-27.
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