Real reason exposed in failed Maple Leafs monster trade!
GM Brad Treliving might have made the right:
HockeyFeed
Before he was traded to the Dallas Stars, defenseman Chris Tanev has been often linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs. When the Calgary Flames sent him down south instead, fans were frustrated that general manager Brad Treliving for not pulling the trigger ahead of the Stars. However, Nick Kypreos revealed what played a huge rule in why the Maple Leafs did not trade for Tanev in the end.
In his “Kyper’s Korner,” Kypreos explained that the cost of a contract extension for Tanev factored into why the Maple Leafs didn’t trade for him before the deadline. The insider claims the Tanev camp sought $5 million per season but it could go lower if the 34-year-old defenseman got a fourth year.
If the report is true, the Maple Leafs and Treliving were wise not to put pen to paper on that kind of offer.
In the end at the trade deadline, salary cap limitations forced the Maple Leafs GM to settle for more affordable options like Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin. He might also do more shopping in the summer, seeing that with $20.7 million in projected cap space for 2024-25, according to Puck Pedia, there will be room next to their 14 active roster players under contract for one or two skilled defensemen.
I feel like Kypreos’ report on why the Maple Leafs did not trade for Tanev will reconcile fans with Treliving’s plans for the blue line moving forward. Because spending that much for Tanev feels like it would have been a serious mistake in Toronto…
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