Maple Leafs Defenseman Reveals Unique Reason For Signing

Many players shy away from Canadian teams, but that's not the case for new Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev.

May 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman Chris Tanev (3) skates against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

With the higher tax rates in Canada, as well as the media swarm that follows teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, clubs north of the border can sometimes struggle to attract quality free agents.

Every now and then they get a lucky break, though, like the Maple Leafs did when they signed veteran defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $27 million contract ($4.5 million AAV) on July 1. Tanev, 34, is from the Greater Toronto Area, but it wasn't just returning home that swayed him to sign with the Leafs. It was also due to a unique financial perk from staying in Canada.

"You do have the lower state tax there but I’ve played in Canada for 14 years," Tanev said, per The Hockey News. "I’m from here and my wife’s family is from close to here. There’s also a tax when you leave Canada to become a US citizen there’s a departure tax to leave Canada."

Tanev has played 792 regular season games throughout his 14-year career, and only 19 of them came with an American team, all last season when he was traded to the Dallas Stars at the deadline. So while Texas is one of the few states to not collect income taxes, signing with the Stars or any other American team would've subjected him to tax penalties. He was able to avoid such penalties last season because his time in Dallas was very brief.

That's a huge point in Toronto's favor, but it's not the only reason why Tanev signed there. The Leafs have an extremely talented forward corps, but subpar play from their defensemen and goaltenders has haunted them for years, especially in the playoffs. As a physical, shutdown defender, Tanev could be exactly what they need.

"That plays a role into it and family reasons and obviously coming to a good team is a big part of that," Tanev said. "I didn’t want to leave Dallas and go to a team that wasn’t trying to win. That’s a huge reason why this happened."

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