Defense has been the primary focus for the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason as the team has gone out and purchased Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman Larsson to upgrade the defense for next season.
With all the hype surrounding both players, it begs the question who brings the most excitement to fans knowing they are now Maple Leafs players. Both defensemen play a different style of game as Tanev is well known for his physical play along with his block shots and defence first mentality.
OEL is more of the offensive style has he played 80 games last year for the Florida Panthers call scoring nine goals with 23 assists for 32 points and was a +10 with 76 penalty minutes. Both players are what the Maple Leafs need as general manager Brad Treliving continues to tinker with his lineup and attract household names.
In my view, I think adding Chris Tanev is the most exciting as he will bring an element to the Leafs defence that they have not seen in many years. Tanev's stat line has been a consistent positive player in his plus minus as he always averages well over 19 minutes a game and focuses strictly on defence while assisting with goals occasionally.
It's likely he will be paired with Maple Leafs top defenseman Morgan Rielly as he has not had a stable pairing for many seasons. After signing his six-year $25 million contract, many fans will always question the length of the contract as it will put him well over 40 years old as he will be turning 35 and it's likely he may not finish that contract while still holding a cap yet at $4.5 million.
But as a fan, there's not much that can be done and the Maple Leafs have more money than any other team in the league. I'll just sit back and see how these players improved the Leafs over the next few years.
