Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev will not return to the game against the Colorado Avalanche after going to the locker room in the first period.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are already dealing with injuries as it was just announced that Chris Tanev would not return to the Maple Leafs lineup tonight against the Colorado Avalanche.
The defenseman exited the game in the first period, with fans noticing that Tanev had gone to the locker room and never came to the bench.
At this time, it is unclear what the extent of the injury is. All we know is that the team has announced he will not return.
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As far as the location of the injury, Elliotte Friedman has revealed that this is an upper-body injury. Of course, that could be a shoulder, back, chest, abdominal, or head problem.
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If you have been paying attention this evening, you would know that the Leafs have gone with seven defensemen, including Nick Blankenburg.
Blankenburg is a defenseman who was signed after a successful PTO, and as it stands, he has a goal tonight against the Avalanche.
What now for the Maple Leafs?
The next step is going to be an evaluation for Tanev. Just because he is out for the game doesn't mean he is guaranteed to be out for the long term.
After tonight's game, we will get more information from head coach Jim Hiller. Presumably, there will be some deeper updates over the coming days.
Regardless, this is not what the Leafs want to see. Tanev has struggled with injuries over the past year or so, and as he gets up there in age, that becomes more of a risk.
Only time will tell whether or not this ends up being a short term or long term issue for Tanev.
Do you believe Chris Tanev is out for a long time?
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