Last season there was a giant hole within the Toronto Maple Leafs’ defensive corps, thanks to the absence of Chris Tanev. With core surgery behind him, along with lingering concussion-like symptoms and a nasty groin injury, Tanev is fully healthy, ready to hit the reset button on his Leafs’ tenure and expected to play a major role for head coach Jim Hiller next season.

Hiller’s going to love Tanev’s game, so expect to see the veteran blueliner play a significant top four role in 2026-27. With the addition of Darren Raddysh, a fellow righty, Tanev won’t be asked to play top-line minutes, much like he was during his first year in Toronto back in 2024-25. Playing in a lesser role will allow for the 36-year-old Tanev to stay fresh longer, and to focus solely on shutting down the opposing team’s top line. The Leafs couldn’t shut anyone down last season and former head coach Craig Berube seemed lost without Tanev in the mix, as the defence pairings were consistently changing, and Berube couldn’t figure out roles for his defencemen. John Chayka has already made significant upgrades on the back end and it’s going to pay off in spades for the Maple Leafs.

Don’t be surprised to see Raddysh and Morgan Rielly, assuming he’s still a Maple Leaf by training camp, as Hiller’s top pair. This will allow for Jake McCabe and Tanev to form the second-pair shutdown duo, and with the leaps and bounds McCabe’s taken the past season or two, if healthy, this could be one of the best shutdown pairs in the league. Tanev is an animal, he sacrifices his body on a nightly basis, he is elite at closing gaps and getting in front of pucks, and his calmness in his own end should rub off on the entire team. Tanev’s a security blanket on the ice, and it was clear as day defensively, the Leafs were missing their stopgap last season and will be welcoming back the veteran defenceman with open arms.

As for the Maple Leafs’ new bench boss, Hiller’s no stranger to having a veteran defenceman he can lean on in Toronto, as when he was Mike Babcock’s assistant, Ron Hainsey was a huge part of the Leafs’ blueline. Hainsey wasn’t anything flashy, he wasn’t the best skater, or the hardest hitter, but Hainsey was a competitor, he battled, dragged his teammates into the fight, and specifically in 2017-18, played close to 22 minutes a night to help stabilize the Leafs’ blueline. Sound familiar? Tanev is almost a mirrored copy of Hainsey’s game, and Hiller’s going to realize very quickly that he can rely on Tanev to keep things simple, pay attention to details in his own end, and maybe most importantly, help lead the penalty kill units.

There’s also the mentorship factor. Much like Hainsey’s impact back in the day, Tanev’s been mentoring Leafs’ prospect Ben Danford, who is coming off an important role, leading the Toronto Marlies defense core to a Calder Cup championship. Tanev’s leadership intangibles will be felt throughout the Leafs’ dressing room, but specifically for Danford, who will eventually bring a lot of the same skillset to the Leafs’ blueline, once he cements a full-time role for himself within Hiller’s team. Expect to see Tanev and Danford spending a lot of time together, on and off the ice once training camp opens.

Tanev only played 11 games for the Maple Leafs last season, but let’s hope that’s not the case for 2026-27. As it stands now, the Leafs’ blueline is balanced, and more importantly, there’s a complement of playing styles, which if constructed properly and expectations are reached, could have significant impacts on Toronto’s success next season.

Tanev should be inked into the second pair, a shutdown duo with McCabe, and these two will also be a major part of the Leafs’ top PK unit. With Tanev back in the lineup, expect to see less high-danger chances for opposing teams, as Tanev’s ability to influence shot suppression will be on full display, and if McCabe continues to evolve as a Leaf, coming off one of his best NHL seasons, it’s going to be fun to watch these two frustrate opponents.

Jim Hiller’s going to love having Tanev on his team, and Leafs Nation will be quickly reminded of the impact the defensive defenceman can make from the opening puck drop next season.