As the 2024 NHL Entry Draft concluded with the 225th and final pick, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a significant move by acquiring the rights to Dallas Stars defenseman Chris Tanev. The Stars traded Tanev’s rights to the Leafs in exchange for forward Max Ellis and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick. Tanev, a Toronto native, is currently not under contract and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 if a new deal is not reached.
Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving commented, “We talked since the end of the year about trying to help ourselves on defense. As we got closer and it looked like potentially he’s not going to be signing in Dallas, we wanted to jump the queue here as best we could and get to him before free agency started. So that’s what we’re going to do. I know the player well, we’ll get to work on it now, at least excited to have an opportunity to speak directly with him and see if we can put something together.”
Tanev, 34, was highly sought after since the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Acquired by Dallas at the 2024 trade deadline from the Calgary Flames, he quickly became an integral part of the team. In 19 regular-season games with Dallas, Tanev recorded five points (one goal, four assists) and a plus-6 rating, excelling on the penalty kill and ranking third in the NHL with 207 blocked shots.
During the playoffs, Tanev played in all 19 games of the Stars’ run to the Western Conference Final, recording two assists, 73 blocks, and 30 hits while averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game, despite playing through a foot/ankle injury.
Tanev has played 792 career regular-season games with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Dallas Stars. He began his career undrafted out of the Rochester Institute of Technology (NCAA) and signed with Vancouver, spending his first 10 seasons with the Canucks. He then joined Calgary in 2020, playing three seasons and part of a fourth before being traded to Dallas in 2024.
Max Ellis, 24, has yet to debut in the NHL, spending the last two seasons with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. He has accumulated 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 87 career AHL games and played two seasons of college hockey at the University of Notre Dame.
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