Chris Tanev confirms that he has pre-existing chemistry with Morgan Rielly

Finally, the Toronto native is officially coming home. He also comes with an added benefit -- he's no stranger to his new defense partner.

Tanev was a guest on TSN 1050's OverDrive on Tuesday, confirming that he and Rielly actually paired together at the World's not long ago, and really enjoyed their time together.

That team won the World Championship with Rielly and Tanev as its top defense pairing. In 10 games, they limited the opposition to just 11 goals.

Tanev's excellent defensive play will provide Morgan Rielly with, by far, the best defensive partner he's ever had in his NHL career. Tanev's steady and reliable presence allows Rielly to do what he does best -- rush up the ice with the puck and make plays with the forwards.

It'll be very exciting, especially in the playoffs, to finally see Rielly take off up the ice and join the rush while Tanev can anchor the blue line and respond at the first sign of trouble.

When you consider the fact that Morgan Rielly was drafted in 2012, it becomes very clear very quickly that a move like this one is long overdue. The Leafs have attempted to augment Rielly in a lot of ways over the years, but with the Tanev move, he finally has the best D partner he's ever had, and it's about damn time.