How Tanev can change the Leafs‘ blue line for the better (significantly) and where he could fit (Morgan Rielly’s best-ever RD partner, or perhaps on a shutdown pairing with Jake McCabe) was covered in-depth by our own Anthony Petreilli when the Leafs made the trade for Tanev’s rights:
First and foremost, we should note that Tanev was, once again, excellent last season. His work in the first two rounds of the playoffs was nothing short of special while matching up against elite players by and large.
Tanev isn’t a bruising, big-time hitter, but he’s excellent at reading the play, breaking up offensive-zone sequences, blocking passing lanes, and getting in shooting lanes.