Chris Tanev done for the season: Maple Leafs gain $4.5M in trade assets
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Maple Leafs announced Chris Tanev is out for the season after undergoing core surgery, and now have his $4.5-million contract available to use in a deal that could end up providing them a great chance to retool their roster and restock their asset pool heading into the summer.
On Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that defenseman Chris Tanev had undergone core surgery in New York and would be out for the rest of the season, with the expectation that he will be healed up in time for training camp come September:
Maple Leafs announce Chris Tanev had successful core muscle surgery in New York City today.
The team expects him to be a full participant in training camp in September
The team expects him to be a full participant in training camp in September
Tanev, 36, had only appeared in 11 games for the Maple Leafs this season after dealing with multiple injuries, including two concussions within the span of two weeks, and this latest injury while having nothing to do with the previous ones -- is clearly the most severe.
Tanev's LTIR status a bit of a bummer, but also a huge blessing for Toronto
But with that, the team now has his full cap hit available to them thanks to the CBA rules; previously with Tanev potentially coming back, he would have only given the team $3.8-million to work with. While $700,000 doesn't seem like a lot, it is the difference maker in taking on a deal for a specific player, and opens up their options a bit more.
And it couldn't have come at a 'better' time as it's only a few days before the trade deadline and for a team who has been desperate to find trades for several of their players, adding the extra cap space is a blessing they didn't exactly envision a week ago.
We previously touched on a replacement for Tanev in the form of Mario Ferraro, a San Jose defender who has a lot of similar traits defensively, loves to be physical and is nearly a decade younger than Tanev and won't cost more than a draft pick or mid-tier prospect and they can absorb his $3.25-million hit a lot easier now.
Trying to replace the veteran blueliner is tough, but Ferraro may be the closest they can find. He's averaged 125 blocks throughout his career, which is actually a higher average career-wise though Tanev has played 400 more games.
The only issue that may prevent the team from pursuing him is the fact he isn't a right-handed defender, but he's played both sides in his career and looks comfortable on the right regardless of his handedness.
Placing Tanev on season-ending LTIR opens up a world of opportunity for the Maple Leafs, and perhaps it's part of their patient approach as they now know what money they have to work with, and the fact they can add a cheap replacement without sacrificing roster depth is a solid bit of business no doubt.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 4|357 ANSWERS Chris Tanev done for the season: Maple Leafs gain $4.5M in trade assets How should the Maple Leafs use Chris Tanev's $4.5M LTIR cap space? | ||
| Replace Him | 58 | 16.2 % |
| New #1 D-Man | 154 | 43.1 % |
| Focus Only On Picks | 114 | 31.9 % |
| Add A Forward Instead | 31 | 8.7 % |
| List of polls | ||