The Toronto Maple Leafs have confirmed Chris Tanev will be out for a bit of time after announcing the veteran defender is week-to-week with an upper body injury.
On Thursday, the Maple Leafs announced that veteran defenseman Chris Tanev, who had been dealing with an upper-body injury, will be missing the next few weeks and is listed as week-to-week for the foreseeable future:
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Tanev, 36, had appeared in six games this season, registering one assist and 14 blocks in 16:51 TOI, and only made it through 11 games last season after injuries kept him on the shelf since last November.
Another year, another rough start for Chris Tanev
You gotta feel for the veteran blue liner, as he has now dealt with two seasons where he can barely get started. We don't know the extent of the injury this time around, but we do know he dealt with concussion and core muscle issues last year.
The hit itself that Tanev took was seemingly innocent as he sort of just got bumped but his head snapped back a bit awkwardly, so it was an immediate cause for concern.
It's unfortunate because he really is the glue that holds the Maple Leafs' blue line together, and it was evident against Utah that the team was missing him. They were trapped in their zone a lot more, and there wasn't the same sense of unity on the back end.
Toronto may need to decide what to do with Tanev sooner than later
But making it two years in a row where he is on the shelf does bring into question his future with the team, regardless of what he can offer on the ice.
He still has four more years on his contract with a $4.5M cap hit, which is quite expensive a price to pay if you're only getting a dozen games out of him. There's no doubt he's one of the best shutdown defenders in the league, but time waits for no man.
We've seen how easily he can be affected by injuries then find himself recovering for weeks or maybe even months. If this is a pattern that keeps happening then Toronto hats weigh whether his limited play is worth keeping around.
If not, then it might not be long before we see Chris Tanev out of Toronto. It's certainly not personal, but simply business.
More details to come.
Do you think Chris Tanev should be benched for the rest of the year by the Maple Leafs?
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