Leafs' Chris Tanev shares his plan to face off against the top players in upcoming season

By Zachary Roberts

Modified Jul 10, 2024 15:50 GMT

Chris Tanev is one of the most ferocious hockey players in the NHL. He knows his role in the sport and the Toronto Maple Leafs, his new team. He's not an enforcer, but he doesn't mind getting dirty and making an impact with toughness and grit.

Tanev said he's likely to face off with other teams' best players. That leaves him with an important role in winning those and preventing scoring opportunities. He's aware and up to the challenge:

"I'm going to take a lot of d-zone faceoffs against other teams' top players, I'm going to PK a lot, and that's just sort of what my role in the league has evolved to," Tanev said (via TheLeafsNation).

Tanev signed a huge free-agent contract to leave the Dallas Stars and join Toronto, a squad that has been very active this offseason. Also, because of what he said, he landed the deal and was pursued by the Maple Leafs and other teams.

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How Chris Tanev ended up with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Chris Tanev signed a six-year, $27 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jul. 1. It was much bigger than the predictions had estimated before NHL free agency began. He was in high demand, got twice as many years and almost twice the money than expected.

Chris Tanev is with the Toronto Maple Leafs now (IMAGN)

This is partially due to the bidding war, where the Maple Leafs outdid the Dallas Stars, his former team. Dallas could only afford a three-year, $15 million contract, so the Leafs went out of their way to convince him to join.

The Leafs also had to outdo the field. One NHL analyst reported that other teams had offered Tanev a higher salary, so the Maple Leafs upped the years and total sum to block him.

This is not the first time the Leafs tried to land Tanev. He was their trade target earlier, although they failed to see it through.