Toronto - If Chris Tanev gets a nickname this season, it could be "retro".

The 35-year-old defensive player is back at the clock on Toronto's blue line and demonstrates physical sacrifice in the name of team success. The result is not only the best he has ever done, but he has helped lift the leaves he needs most. It's a tough task for a player - unless you're Tanev, the emerging crown jewel in Toronto's defense even attracts the game.

“He’s kind of like the head of a snake in the back end,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “I’ve been saying how great he’s been his player for years. But it’s incredible to meet him at this stage and continue to do it year after year. You can tell himself and talk to (his) team in his way and hit and lead by example.

Tanev's toughness may not be a big shock, but even Tkachuk can't predict how Tanev can help turn Leaves into a two-headed monster - not only able to score many goals, but also set a solid defensive tone.

It is worth mentioning that goal suppression has not been Toronto's strength in the past decade.

It's now in full swing throughout the LEAFS playoffs, with Tanev making his mark in his second round of the series against the Florida Panthers in Toronto.

According to Stathletes, Tanev absorbed more hits (81) in the playoffs than any skater, who finished second in the blocked shot (25). He is also the playoff leader for Leafs in Plus-Minus (+5) and is also the number one in the category in the regular season (+31), when he and Jake McCabe produced a plus 11 goal difference in 5-on-5 games.

If all of these physical beatings were causing damage to Tanev, you would never know from the smile - some teeth that were falling off along the way exposed the gap - permanently etched onto his face.

When asked about his feelings, he said, "Every day is a good day." "You wake up, you're so happy, you're on the rink."

The sunny character is another Tanev Hallmark, which works simultaneously with his fierce on-ice attitude. The veteran’s role is complex – he is known to be unhesitant, a quiet observer, and is interesting. Tanev didn't pay attention to it, but it found him in these playoffs, where Toronto has pushed Toronto's performance over the years. Attention is destined to follow.

“He’s a guy who goes out and goes all out,” Maple Leaf forward Mitch Marner said. "It's something you really like in the team. He also puts his body on the line in every class. I think that's why we're so successful because of him."

When it comes To playoff hockey, you have to "be like you're willing to die on the ice every night," according to veteran Leaf forward Max Pacioretty.

That's Tanev's style all year round. The Leafs need players like him to defend for too long.

Toronto general manager Brad Treliving knows that Tanev may be the difference between his Fire GM era during his four-year tenure with the team. He kept anchoring Calgary's back-end until Craig Conroy's successor in Calgary, Craig Conroy entered the rebuilding phase in February 2024, trading him to Dallas.

Tanev was an unrestricted free agent at the time, and a coveted right-gun defender like him would not last long in the free agent market. Treliving hopes to get potential services from TANEV as soon as possible and received his rights from the Stars last June in exchange for a 2026 seventh round pick and prospect Max Ellis. The move provides Toronto with an exclusive window to negotiate a long-term agreement with Tanev, and by July 1 they compiled a six-year, $27 million contract.

Toronto people officially return home. Tanev's reputation as a grinder led him to go directly into the Leaf's room. He then just made his way to the Western Conference Finals from Dallas, which was after Tanev took fourth in the category in the regular season (207), leading the playoffs with a blocked shooting percentage (73 of 19 games).

Craig Berube is also a newbie to the Leafs, with his first season as chief coach, and Berube's North-South PlayStyle is perfect for Tanev's Tanev Take-No-Prisoners Chore.

"He's an old man," Beruber said. "He's a fighter. He's a competitive man. He's just everywhere and everyone around him puts his body on the line every night, whether it's a barrier or a blow to play. You name it.

This is painful in the Leafs series targeting Florida. Tanev strode toward the Panthers, even if injured. In Game 4, Brad Marchand was hit behind him. TANEV just pops up like a core - like he suffered a heavy hit in Game 2 (although Tanev is a little slower on that ice). He was also crushed by Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe in the first phase of the third game on Friday, but not before he brought the puck to McCabe.

Only a moment later, John Tavares scored extended the Leaf's lead. From there, taking the third assist, considering Tanev, changing the game from execution can make the opponent fit.

"That's his advantage, it's a lot of things he'll hang on the hockey to play," said Panthers coach Paul Maurice. "He did the show. He might be underrated in some of the sports of hockey. He's been doing that. He blocks, hits; keeps playing."

After Tanev's fearlessness, others may wince. But the thinking process is now only second nature.

“Sometimes, you’re trying to attract boys and absorb the welcome effect before moving,” he said. “Maybe sometimes I can move it faster, but it’s just playoff hockey, and that’s what’s happening.”

Whether he felt burning or not, Tanev wasn't on the belly. It's an inspiring commitment, already upset with Tanev's teammates: if he's willing to put his weight into every transition, the group's collective defensive efforts must exist, too.

"You're going to see some drama and think after the game he's going to complain about it and you don't hear about him," Pacioretty said. "He's just in his own business. That's a whole year. You saw a shot earlier this year and it was like, 'Oh man, you're going to hurt or lim go around for a few days' and he's just going back to the rink and it's like nothing happened.

“So, he was very tough and he was willing to sacrifice everything for the team, which didn’t get people’s attention in that room.”

How many exactly are there?

“He was there (as the toughest teammate)," said defenseman Simon Benoit. “He had to be there, like the highest.”

Tanev has a lot of talent On the ice.

He has something, too. And, like so many other things about him, it's an eye-opener to learn how Tanev spends his downtime.

"I found him doing a lot on the road, and I think it's crazy," Manner said. "But he's committed to working hard, he starts whatever he wants to end, and that's something you appreciate. It's impressive."

Tanev didn't fully plan to fill his suitcase as an NHL player in his textbook. Again, he didn't see a global pandemic coming. But when the league closed in 2020, Tanev decided to make the most of it and earned his finance degree as a player at the Rochester Technology in 2009.

"I went to school for a year and left my ten-year break," Tanev joked. "When Covid happened, my wife was like, 'Why don't you start classes anymore?" We were just sitting at home. I've been doing it ever since. So I'm almost done. ”

The business aspect of life is “natural” Tanev, who hinted at when explaining why he had to sign with Toronto in the first place. When asked at the time why he was leaving a place like Texas, whose state has low income taxes, i.e., in Canada, where taxes are significantly higher, Taneff had an educated answer.

"You do have lower state taxes (in Texas), but I've been in Canada for 14 years (from 2010 to 14, between Vancouver and Calgary)," he said. "I'm from (Toronto), and my wife's family comes from here. When you leave Canada to become a U.S. citizen, there's also taxes - there's a departure tax leaving Canada."

Avoiding what is considered a sedimentary tax (when the Canadian relocates to other places permanently) shows a glimpse of Tanev's financial savvy and illustrates how he has been trying to stay before the game while patrolling the Leaf's Blue Line.

“He’s a stud,” forward Matthew Knies said. "I think he's been watching. He's thinking, making games and driving the puck out of his area and stopping the shot. That's what it takes to win."

Watching Tanev's actions was almost boring. He has few positions, or has caused doubtful turnovers, and has been poisoned for Toronto's playoffs in the past. Tanev has a confidence, which is part of his personality.

"(He is) a peaceful existence," Manner said. "If anyone knows that he is a unique person, he is very calm and to himself. You will hear him joke about it occasionally, which is usually fun."

The thing without laughing is how important Tanev's hopes for Toronto are, hoping to deny another Cup debut in the Panthers - and try to make one of their own. The Leafs led 2-0 at Florida until the Panthers won the championship with a 2-2 score, with two wins as the title. It was officially three of the best when the hockey fell in Toronto’s Game 5, although Leafs could still collaborate there to have the advantage of Home-Ice.

To accomplish the job, Leaf will take everything Tanev can give - but they can't lose him in the process. There was a collective inhalation as Tanev quit Game 3 when he switched several times after the shooting. It turns out that this is just a broken skateboard.

According to Tanev, it was "dismay" and even missed a few minutes at this time of year when his contribution was crucial.

"He's been doing it for a long time," Beruber said. "So, I won't talk to him about change."

Toronto won't dream. Tanev is headed by role models and gives his true all-out. If Tanev's other teammates followed suit, then there would be no way to say how far Toronto could go.

"He has a tough figure," McCabe said of his partner. "He is so stable. He is willing to do everything he can to win. We are lucky to have him."