Chris Tanev was added to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue line on a six-year contract ahead of the 2024-25 season. The 34-year-old defenceman was traded to the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline in March and had a massive impact, helping Dallas reach Game 6 of the Western Conference Final for the second straight season. While we are still a few months from dropping the puck on the regular season, it certainly qualifies as the time to begin evaluating the role he will play in Toronto.

Tanev is either going to slide in on the top pairing alongside the Leafs’ best defenceman or on the second pair, as he did often with Esa Lindell last season in Dallas. He can do both, he has proven to be versatile and the veteran is open to playing whichever role Toronto needs him to fill.

“I’m going to take a lot of D-zone face-offs against other teams’ top players. I’m going to PK a lot. That’s just sort of what my role in the league has evolved into,” Tanev said on Sportsnet 590’s The FAN Pregame with Justin Cuthbert and Ailish Forfar.

There are three real options here, each of which is a left-handed shot with Tanev playing on the right side.

This is not only the most likely option, it is also the most discussed.

Toronto has been searching for the perfect partner for Rielly, the longest-tenured Maple Leaf, for quite some time.  Rielly and Tanev played together at the 2016 World Championships with Team Canada. Not only did Canada win the tournament, but with Rielly and Tanev as its top pairing, Canada held opponents to 11 total goals in 10 games, including two wins over the United States. Tanev finished with one assist and a plus-8, while Rielly tallied a goal and an assist with a plus-7.

“I played with Morgan at the Worlds a couple of years ago and I think we both enjoyed it quite well,” Tanev said on TSN 1050’ OverDrive. “We had some success and the team did well, so I definitely think we complement each other on and off the ice.”

If Tanev goes with Rielly, it gives Toronto a very talented top pair. Tanev can shut down the opponent’s best players, block shots and kill penalties, and Rielly can play sound defence (plus-7 last season) while adding somewhere between 50 and 65 points offencively (he finished with 58 points in 72 games last season but has recorded 72 and 68 in two of his past six seasons). Rielly can also play the heavy minutes needed, averaging nearly 24 minutes per game in 2023-24.

It should work, and is in all likelihood the Leafs’ best option.

McCabe is the second-best option, simply because of how well Tanev fit with Lindell in Dallas. McCabe is a shutdown defenceman, like Lindell. He will not add a ton of offense (28 points in 73 games) but will play very responsibly on the defencive end, something that becomes apparent when looking at his plus-32 rating over the past two seasons.

McCabe plays some big minutes, averaging 20:39 last season and 21:23 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If this is the pick for Toronto, the duo of McCabe and Tanev will be matched up against just about every top line in the NHL and will play heavy minutes on a consistent basis. Both players can move the puck quickly up the ice and don’t make a lot of mistakes. They also block shots, Tanev has over 200 blocks in each of the past two seasons, McCabe finished 2023-24 with 129.  They will add a bit of offence (20-30 points) and should provide Rielly and others with some more freedom to roam and produce on the other end.

Ekman-Larsson is a similar player to Morgan Rielly. The 32-year-old has plenty of experience, has shown the ability to produce 40+ points in a season and loves to move the puck. His career minus-118 rating is largely due to his time in Arizona but he finished at a minus-24 in 2022-23 with the Vancouver Canucks as well. That means that Tanev could provide the perfect balance to make Ekman-Larsson a very effective blueliner. If Tanev be there in support, Ekman-Larsson can open up a bit more offencively without as much risk of being exposed. Perhaps he gets closer to his career-high 44 points while also maintaining a plus rating. The perfect storm.

But for me, this is not as viable an option as Rielly. OEL is probably a better fit on a second or third pairing, but would certainly benefit from playing alongside Tanev.