Tanev signs 6-year, $27 million contract with Maple Leafs

Chris Tanev signed a six-year, $27 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. It has an average annual value of $4.5 million.

The 34-year-old defenseman was traded to the Maple Leafs by the Dallas Stars on June 29 for forward Max Ellis and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Tanev had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 75 regular-season games for the Stars and Calgary Flames last season, including five points (one goal, four assists) in 19 games after he was acquired by the Stars in a trade with the Flames on Feb. 28.

Tanev had two assists in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"What he's going to bring not only to our group but to our room, just a consummate pro," Toronto general manager Brad Treliving said. "His ability to play hard minutes against top players, penalty killing ability and then you go from there."

Signed by the Vancouver Canucks as an undrafted free agent May 31, 2010, Tanev has 190 points (33 goals, 157 assists) in 792 regular-season games for the Stars, Flames and Canucks and 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 60 playoff games.

The Maple Leafs also signed defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a four-year, $14 million contract ($3.5 million AAV), and goalie Joseph Woll to a three-year, $10.98 million contract ($3.66 million AAV), which will begin in the 2025-26 season.

Ekman-Larsson, 32, had 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 80 regular-season games for the Florida Panthers and six points (two goals, four assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help them win the Cup. Selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round (No. 6) of the 2009 NHL Draft, he has 471 points (144 goals, 327 assists) in 471 regular-season games for the Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Coyotes and 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 49 playoff games.

"When I look at the defense right now, it has a good blend," said Treliving. "You've got some puck movers, you have got some size, some penalty killing. The addition of Oliver gives you another option on the power play. We've got lefties and righties. Defensemen are so hard to get so it opens up different options for us as we move forward here in the summer."

Woll, 25, was 12-11-1 with a 2.94 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 25 games (23 starts) for the Maple Leafs last season and 2-2 with a 0.86 GAA and .964 save percentage in three playoff games. Selected by Toronto in the third round (No. 62) of the 2016 NHL Draft, he is 21-13-1 with a 2.76 GAA, .912 save percentage and one shutout in 36 NHL games, all with the Maple Leafs, and 3-2 with a 1.78 GAA and .933 save percentage in seven playoff games.

"Getting Joe done and extending him, we looked at the comps and getting a year out of it, we have a lot of faith in Joe," said Treliving. "We think Joe is going to have a real good career in front of him and a real good important season in front of him. That was a priority for us to see if we could get ahead of it and Joe was excited to engage."

The moves came one day after Toronto signed forward Max Domi to a four-year, $15 million contract ($3.75 million AAV) and defenseman Timothy Liljegren a two-year, $6 million contract ($3 million AAV).

Domi, who could have become an unrestricted free agent Monday, had 47 points (nine goals, 38 assists) in 80 regular-season games for Toronto this season and four points (one goal, three assists) in seven playoff games.

"Getting Max back was a priority... We're excited to get Max done, a versatile player," Treliving said. "I think a player that all along wanted to be in Toronto, it was just finding a deal that worked for both sides. He's just a competitive kid. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He can bounce around the lineup."

Selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round (No. 12) of the 2013 NHL Draft, the 29-year-old has 417 points (130 goals, 287 assists) in 661 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens and Coyotes and 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 50 playoff games.

"That's the reason why I signed here," Domi said Monday. "It's my hometown and wanted to be here. I had a dream of winning a Stanley Cup from as long as I can remember being two years old whenever I started playing hockey. Long before I knew anything about cashing a paycheck and that dream hasn't changed. Whenever I had that dream, I was always wearing a Leafs jersey. Pretty fitting I have the chance to play here for the next handful of years and I chose to be here, I want to be here and I believe in this group. Bringing in a guy like Chief (Craig Berube) and the staff he has hired is super exciting for a player. This group is hungry."

Liljegren, who was in the final season of a two-year, $2.8 million contract ($1.4 million AAV) he signed with Toronto on June 27, 2022, could have become a restricted free agent on Monday. The 25-year-old had an NHL career-high 20 assists and tied his NHL career high with 23 points in 55 regular-season games last season. He also had one assist in six playoff games.

Selected by Toronto in the first round (No. 17) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Liljegren has 65 points (14 goals, 51 assists) in 196 regular-season games, and one assist in 13 playoff games.

"We still think there is so much upside with Timothy," Treliving said. "We've worked the last couple weeks on getting an extension done with Timothy. He was a player with arbitration rights. We both had a pretty good understanding of what the case would look like. I know everybody looks at the qualifying number, the qualifying number and the arbitration number are two different things so Peter Wallin and his representatives and Brandon Pridham worked hard one that one."

NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report