The Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked together for months now.
Whether it is Brad Treliving’s appointment as general manager, the rumoured deal for two Flames defencemen—or pretty much any other potential player Calgary has available—the two teams are almost joined at the hip.
Naturally, this means it makes even more sense that rumours are starting to percolate again around the Leafs’ interest in Chris Tanev. This time, it makes almost too much sense for Toronto to finally pull the trigger on a deal.
Chris Tanev to Toronto has a lot of merit
The Leafs have coveted Tanev ever since Treliving took over as GM. The former Flames head boss was the one who signed Tanev to his original contract back in 2020 and has been on the lookout for a defenceman the entire season.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Tanev fits a critical need for the Leafs: a defensive defenceman who plays with an edge. Additionally, Tanev’s hometown is Toronto which adds to the narrative that much more. With Tanev needing a new contract this summer, the Leafs would surely be near the top of his list to close out his career with.
Now what makes the deal make even more sense after is the announcement of Morgan Rielly’s five-game suspension which comes at a time when the Leafs are battling for a playoff spot. They beat the St. Louis Blues (which also helps the Flames immensely), but losing one of their best players for an extended period is not an ideal situation.
The Leafs have been rumoured to be debating whether this is the year to go for it or hold on to their first-round pick, but the suspension may have forced their hand more.
A potential deal between Conroy and Treliving
The Flames have multiple offers on the table for Tanev that involve a second-round pick with no issues. The team reportedly has been holding out hope that someone would willingly move their price to a first, and that would get a deal done.
The Leafs want a player with term, and surely they could extend Tanev if given the opportunity. If the team were to give up their first-round pick in 2024 for Tanev in addition to there being an extension in place, who says no to that deal?
Well, perhaps the salary cap comes in as a blocker as Toronto only has $1.2M in space at the time of writing. Even if the Flames were to magically convince Murray Edwards to retain 50% of Tanev’s $4.5M salary, the Leafs would have to move money out in the deal. It’s hard to find a player on the roster the Flames would want to take back, but it would have to be enough to move the needle.
There is no better time than now for both teams to get to work on a potential deal as the stars are simply aligning.
