Photo evidence shows Maple Leafs were close to acquiring defenseman Chris Tanev

The Toronto Maple Leafs were in rumors to acquire Chris Tanev for months leading up to the NHL trade deadline. He was the top defenseman on the market and many were hoping he'd land in Toronto. Today a new post on X showing a pair of gloves in Maple Leafs colors for Chris Tanev show the trade must've been on the verge of happening.

Despite these gloves existing the Toronto Maple Leafs could not land the defensive defenseman. Instead, he went to the Dallas Stars and helped them reach the Western Conference Finals.

While it seems like the Toronto Maple Leafs narrowly missed on landing Chris Tanev it likely would not have mattered anyway. The Maple Leafs were eliminated in round one and seem to have much larger organizational issues. Regardless it would have been fun to see the domino effect of Chris Tanev coming to Toronto.

Source: Blade of Steel
Photo surfaces of piece of equipment proving Maple Leafs nearly acquired dman