Chris Tanev was the top-rated right-handed defenseman known to be available on most trade boards. The Leafs have clear ties to him — their GM was the one that signed him in Calgary in the first place — and Brad Treliving was rumoured to be interested in reuniting with the defenseman who was a workhorse on his Flames teams.
It got complicated because the Leafs don’t own a second-round pick in any of the next three drafts. Because of that, Calgary reportedly asked the Leafs for a first-round pick, a price that clearly proved to be too much for a player who’s a pending UFA and already 34 years of age.