A new report from NHL insider Frank Seravalli has revealed that the Toronto Maple Leafs could face punishment for their Chris Tanev extension if they are not careful.
The Toronto Maple Leafs recently traded for defenseman Chris Tanev at the end of the NHL Draft. Now they have to sign him to an extension.
Many around the league are expecting a long-term contract for the 35-year-old Chris Tanev. However, a new report from Frank Seravalli might scare off the Maple Leafs from this commitment.
Frank Seravalli reveals the Maple Leafs could face punishment for Chris Tanev extension
In a new post on X NHL insider Frank Seravalli took a look at the Chris Tanev extension talks. According to his sources the NHL is trying to cut down on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) salary cap circumvention. In the past teams have signed older players to long contracts and then just put them on LTIR once they are unable to play. This means teams were signing players to 7 year deals only intending to play them for 3 or 4.
1. If "fake years" are added to a player's contract in his mid-30s as a method to suppress AAV and/or entice a signature with additional total dollars, #NHL will monitor and pursue later if proven as means of cap circumvention.
In the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs Frank Seravalli lays out how this could impact them when it comes to Chris Tanev.
Example: If #Leafs want to offer Tanev 6 years x $4 million, and the goal (😉) is to only play three years and spend the last two or three on LTIR (😉), well then, that won't be looked upon fondly later. We've been through this once before, hence the 35+ contract rule.
This means that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be punished and forced to keep the salary of Chris Tanev on their books if the NHL decides they did this on purpose. They also could not hire Chris Tanev in a player development or coaching role to get around this rule either as that is also banned.
2. It is expressly prohibited in the CBA for a free agent to agree to a post-contract arrangement for services, say as a team ambassador or in player development, as a way of working outside of the salary cap. That type of deal is outlawed and the #NHL would very likely also consider that circumvention.
With all of this in mind the Toronto Maple Leafs need to really consider how long Chris Tanev will be useful on a playoff roster. If that answer is not 5 plus years then signing him to a major extension might end up being more trouble than it is worth.
As of now Chris Tanev has not signed his extension which means the Toronto Maple Leafs could be taking this new information into consideration. Once there is a major update regarding the future of Chris Tanev we will pass it along to you.
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