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Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was asked this week about the performance of Chris Tanev in his first training camp in Toronto and gave a rave review of the veteran defenseman.

Craig Berube had met with the media following practice on Friday, fielding questions about special teams, the health of his start players, and his goaltenders. However, it was his response when asked specifically about Chris Tanev that really stood out.

The Maple Leafs acquired the negotiating rights to Chris Tanev from the Dallas Stars on day 2 of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, giving them a good running start at negotiating a new contract with the veteran defenseman, who essentially headlined this summer’s crop of UFA defensemen. In the end, they were able to secure a deal with Tanev — a 6-year pact that will pay him $4.5M per season.

So far during training camp, Tanev has shown a lot, from his relentlessness, tenaciousness and selflessness right down to his ability to tremendous character — something Berube focused heavily on when responding to a question about his top defensive defenseman on Friday.
First of all, the character jumps out at me right away. He is a character guy and a team guy. He lays it on the line out there blocking shots. The details in his game are really good. Solid defender and penalty killer. We can play him against top lines on other teams, and he does a really good job there. He is a second and third-effort guy.
-Berube on Tanev

A heck of an endorsement from his new head coach. Tanev has come exactly as advertised, and while some still remain concerned about the final 2 seasons of his 6-year deal, there’s little doubt that the first 3-4 seasons will provide the Leafs with tremendous value at a reasonable cap hit, which is less than what they were paying T.J. Brodie last season.

At this point, Tanev appears to be earmarked to kick off the season on the Leafs’ top pairing with Morgan Rielly, the team’s longest-tenured player. While Tanev is never going to dazzle anyone with his offensive skills, what he brings to the table is something the Leafs desperately needed on the back end. A calmness, poise and consistency that the blueline lacks, and a truly elite defensive defenseman. Early opinions from Berube seem to indicate that he sees just that in Tanev.

Time will ultimately tell whether the Tanev deal was a successful move or a costly mistake, but I’d be willing to wager that it’s the former, rather than the latter, given what I’ve seen from him so far in camp. This decision has the potential to be a solid one for the Leafs.