The Utah Mammoth are expected to place veteran forward Brandon Tanev on waivers on Friday, which means the Maple Leafs finally get a chance to add him.
it was announced via X that the Utah Mammoth were going to be making a flurry of roster moves, with one of them being quite surprising.
Brandon Tanev set to hit the waiver wire on Friday
Reports reveal they are going to waive veteran forward Brandon Tanev for the purposes of an AHL assignment:
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The forward had only three assists in 55 games with the Mammoth last season, and has 183 points in 608 career games. Known more as a defensive specialist, Tanev is one of the many veteran cuts made by teams as they shape their 2026-27 roster.
His best season came during the 2022-23 season with the Seattle Kraken where he had 16 goals and 35 points and adding 190 hits, finishing 30th in Selke voting that year.
Maple Leafs now have the perfect chance to reunite the Tanev brothers
With Tanev hitting the wire, it wouldn't be surprising to see teams stake a claim for the defensive forward, as he would help any team's penalty kill, while also bringing above average shot blocking ability and can lay the body at will.
One team that definitely should look to claim him are the Toronto Maple Leafs, and considering they have been linked to Tanev for quite some time, it's now the perfect low-risk chance to acquire him. Toronto was in the mix to acquire him in 2025, but he instead signed a deal with the Mammoth.
Brandon's older brother Chris is no stranger to Maple Leafs as the anchor and backbone of their shutdown core, and bringing in essentially the forward version of him wouldn't be a bad idea especially with questions about Nick Paul's current status.
Toronto does have its own roster issues to work out and already has defensive forward Steven Lorentz on waivers as they wait to learn his fate later on Friday. However, if there's a spot available for Tanev after the rest of the roster is sorted out, then we could see a reunion in blue and white for Chris and Brandon.
Should the Maple Leafs claim Brandon off waivers?
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