As the 2024 NHL Draft was coming to an end, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars pulled off a fairly big trade. The Maple Leafs acquired the rights to Chris Tanev, who had been on their priority list since Brad Treliving took over as GM.
After the trade was made, every Maple Leafs fan speculated that the deal would get done and that it would be team-friendly.
Well, Tanev, a Toronto native, revealed the reason why he signed with the Maple Leafs over re-signing with the Stars.
‘You do have the lower state tax [in Dallas], but I’ve played in Canada for 14 years. I’m from here and my wife’s family is from close to here. There’s also a tax when you leave Canada to become a U.S. citizen there’s a departure tax to leave Canada.’
Being close to home [Toronto] was essentially the main reason why he picked the Maple Leafs over the Stars.
Looking ahead to this upcoming season, Maple Leafs’ fans are very excited to have Tanev on board. He will likely partner with Morgan Rielly and finally give him an everyday elite defence partner.
Tanev is part of an elite class as one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. He will do just about anything for his team, including putting his body on the line numerous times in a game to block shots.
For the Maple Leafs to land Tanev instantly puts the organization in a better spot defensively than they have been since the Auston Matthews era started in 2016.
