"When it comes Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev, you know exactly what you are getting every night when he takes the ice. As one of the top defensive defenders in the league, Tanev would smother the opposition with elite positioning, sacrifice his body with key blocks, and play a smart, physical hockey game in helping the team to much success."
"Unfortunately, that was exactly what the Maple Leafs truly missed during their disappointing 2025-26 NHL campaign as Tanev was sidelined due to injuries in all but 11 games this past season. It is definitely hard to accurately assess exactly how well he actually did in 2025-26 given the limited playing time. But one thing is for sure, without Tanev anchoring the Leafs blue line, the Toronto defense had one of its worst showings in years."
"When healthy, Tanev was paired with Jake McCabe to form the top shutdown pair for the Maple Leafs. As a result, the 36-year-old veteran wasn't expected to contribute much offensively as his main focus was to prevent the opposition from getting any good scoring opportunities. So Tanev's two assists in 11 games was still on pace for his usual 10-20 point output per season. However, due to frequent injuries, hi 17:58 average ice time per game was his lowest since 2012-13 back when he was still with the Vancouver Canucks."
"Moreover, looking at some of the underlying stats, Tanev actually struggled a bit when he did play, posting a less-than-stellar 46.4 CF%, 43% expected goals rate and 43.9% scoring chances rate in 5-on-5 situations, tilting the ice in the opponents favour often. Nevertheless, his plus-minus of +8 that led the entire Maple Leafs squad still showed that despite the struggles, somehow he managed to keep the goal differential in the Leafs favour, which was most important."
Chris Tanev is described as a top defensive defenseman known for elite positioning, willingness to sacrifice his body with key blocks, and smart physical play. The Maple Leafs missed that impact during a disappointing 2025-26 season when Tanev was sidelined by injuries and played only 11 games. When healthy, he formed a shutdown pair with Jake McCabe and focused on preventing scoring chances rather than producing offense, totaling two assists in 11 games. His average ice time of 17:58 was his lowest since 2012-13. Underlying 5-on-5 metrics showed struggles, including 46.4 CF%, 43% expected goals, and 43.9% scoring chances, yet his +8 plus-minus led Toronto and suggested he still helped keep goal differential favorable.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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