Leafs add defencemen Tanev, Ekman-Larsson; sign goalies Woll, Stolarz, Murray
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The Toronto Maple Leafs added depth to their defence and goaltending on Monday during free agent frenzy.
Toronto signed veteran defenceman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $27 million deal, featuring an average annual value of $4.5 million and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a four-year contract with an average annual value of $3.5 million. The deal includes a 16 team no-trade clause.
The Maple Leafs added more depth to their blueline with the signing of Jani Hakanpaa to a two-year deal carrying an average annual value of $1.5 million.
Toronto acquired Tanev's rights from the Dallas Stars over the weekend.
Tanev, 34, finished last season with the Stars after he was acquired from the Calgary Flames for defenceman Artem Grushnikov and a draft pick on Feb. 28.
The 6-foot-2 right-shot defenceman recorded two goals and 19 points in 75 games split between the Flames and Stars. He added two assists in 19 playoff games before the Stars were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final.
Tanev is coming off a four-year, $18 million deal he signed with the Flames in October of 2020.
Originally signed as undrafted free agent by the Vancouver Canucks in 2010, Tanev has 33 goals and 190 points in 782 career games split between the Canucks, Flames, and Stars.
The Toronto native represented Canada at the 2016 World Championship, recording an assist in 10 games to take home a gold medal.
Ekman-Larsson, 32, recorded nine goals and 32 points in 80 games with the Florida Panthers last season.
He added two goals and six points in 24 playoff games as the Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The 6-foot-2 left-shot defenceman is coming off a one-year, $2.35 million deal he signed with the Panthers in July of 2023.
Drafted sixth overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2009, Ekman-Larsson has 144 goals and 471 points in 982 career games split between the Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, and Panthers.
The Karlskrona, Sweden, native represented his country at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, winning a silver medal. He also represented Sweden at five World Championships, taking home two gold medals in 2017 and 2018.
Ekman-Larsson represented Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto, winning a bronze medal.
Hakanpaa, 32, had two goals and 10 assists over 64 games with the Stars in 2023-24.
Maple Leafs re-sign Woll, add Stolarz, keep Murray
The Maple Leafs also signed goalie Joseph Woll to a three-year, $10.98 million contract extension, featuring an average annual value of $3.66 million.
The restricted free agent is coming off a three-year, $2.3 million contract.
Woll recorded a 2.94 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage over 25 regular season games with the Maple Leafs in 2023-24, missing a large portion of the season with a high ankle sprain.
The 25-year-old won Game 5 and Game 6 of Toronto's opening round series against the Boston Bruins, but missed Game 7 with an injury.
The Maple Leafs selected Woll in the third-round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and has appeared in 39 career games since the 2021-22 season.
The Maple Leafs added goaltender Anthony Stolarz to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $2.5 million.
Stolarz, 30, had a .925 save percentage and 2.02 goals-against average in 27 appearances with the Panthers and helped them win the Stanley Cup alongside Ekman-Larsson.
Dreger notes that the Maple Leafs are re-signing Matt Murray to provide depth behind Joseph Woll and Stolarz.