Is This the Last Season for Tanev, McCabe and OEL in

There’s a pretty good chance we’re looking at the Toronto Maple Leafs blue line a little differently a year from now. Right now, Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson give Toronto a lot of what it wants from the back end. They’re experienced, physical enough, dependable in different situations and, in Tanev’s case, exactly the kind of playoff defenceman teams love to have. But there’s also a reality staring John Chayka in the face: none of these guys is getting younger.

Maybe defencemen can play longer than forwards, but there comes a time.

Tanev is 36. McCabe is 32. OEL is almost 35. That doesn’t mean they suddenly fall off a cliff. Hockey doesn’t work that way. But it does mean the Leafs probably have to start thinking about what happens next. And that’s where this coming season gets interesting.

Maybe all three are still here next year. Maybe one of them is gone. Maybe the Maple Leafs decide they need to start turning over the blue line before the problem becomes obvious. You don’t want to wait until three older defencemen are all showing signs of slowing down and then suddenly realize you need replacements for half your defence.

That’s why someone like Vancouver’s Filip Hronek is an interesting name to keep in the back of your mind.

Hronek could give the Maple Leafs big minutes game after game.

This isn’t necessarily a prediction that Toronto will trade for Hronek. It’s more about the type of defenceman the team might eventually need. Hronek is 28, has plenty of NHL experience and can move the puck. He’s young enough to still be part of the next version of the Leafs, rather than simply helping them get through another season. And that distinction matters.

The Maple Leafs have spent a lot of time trying to build a defence that can survive playoff hockey. Tanev fits that perfectly. McCabe fits it pretty well, too. OEL brings experience and puck movement. But eventually, Chayka has to start asking who is going to be doing these jobs two or three years from now.

There’s a bigger story coming with the Maple Leafs defence.

Maybe this is the final season for Tanev in Toronto. His injuries have kept him out of too many games. He was limited to 11 games in 2025-26 because of injuries and underwent core-muscle surgery. Maybe McCabe becomes a trade candidate. Maybe OEL decides he’s had enough. Or maybe all three have another good year and make the decision much harder.

But I suspect the Maple Leafs will be watching this very closely. Because a year from now, we may not be talking about whether Toronto needs to add another defenceman.

We may be talking about how many of its current defencemen it needs to replace.