Craig Berube's Reaction to Chris Tanev Injury Question Raises Big Concern

It was an unfortunate bit of news for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday afternoon as they were without defenseman Chris Tanev, who was scratched minutes before the game.

It was obvious Toronto needed their shutdown blueliner as they were defeated handily by the Winnipeg Jets 5-2. Head coach Craig Berube wasn't pleased with having to scratch him, and when pressed by media afterward didn't mention much regarding the extent of his defenseman's injury.

If you were to ask Leafs fans what they want for Christmas, besides a Stanley Cup, the next thing they'd probably tell you is they'd like a healthy roster. With their captain out again and now Tanev hurt; not to mention Anthony Stolarz's absence, it's been a rough go.

The team looked out of sorts with the defender out of the lineup, and it's obvious the Leafs are worse without him. Beyond being the team's backbone on the blueline, his hockey IQ and puck sense allow him to make better choices and prevent less chances.

They also direly missed his shot blocking prowess, with Toronto only mustering 6 blocked shots compared to Winnipeg's 22. Tanev alone accounts for nearly half of that on his own accord, so losing him means not getting an extra 3 blocks per game.

His partnership with Jake McCabe has been an exciting duo for Maple Leafs fans who have been craving a shutdown pair on the blueline for years. Given how much the team relies on both of them to cause havoc, it's hard to ask McCabe to do it all when Toronto's other defensemen slack.

Tanev is also enjoying a fairly productive offensive season too, with one goal and nine assists in his first year with the Maple Leafs. He also has 99 blocked shots, bringing that well-known controlled recklessness fans come to expect from Tanev, who doesn't care where the puck hits him as long as it does.

It's a shame that Chris Tanev got hurt for the Maple Leafs, and his absence was felt heavily during the Winnipeg game. Hopefully for fans and for Tanev it's not serious and just a case of him being a bit beaten up from having to be the brick wall Toronto needs him to be.