Maple Leafs hint at what's next for Chris Tanev as decision approaches

Chris Tanev has been working his way back to try and get into the Maple Leafs lineup after his upper-body injury suffered on Nov 1. against Philadelphia. He's been skating with the team but the flip-flopping between if he's close to a return or not is a tad frustrating for fans.

He was undergoing an evaluation on Wednesday and with it now being Friday, we still have no answer as to what is going on when it comes to Tanev and his eventual return.

According to Craig Berube though, we should known soon.

Speaking to reporters after Thursady's 3-2 OT loss to the San Jose Sharks, Berube explained Tanev's situation and explained that we won't know anything for another day or so.

It's a frustrating update nonetheless as we still wait to see if Tanev is letting to have surgery or if the veteran defenseman is going to be heading back into the lineup soon.

The earliest he can come back is the game against Edmonton on Saturday, and with still no answer and no guarantee the team will have an answer by Friday; it puts his status for that game into jeopardy.

If Tanev is going to miss more time then it'll be a huge blow to the Maple leafs who are now going to be down three everyday defensemen with the newest injury to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, though there's no word yet on the extent of how bad things are.

Toronto can't afford to have Tanev miss anymore time though they also can't risk rushing him back and potentially losing him again and this time for a lot longer. It's a delicate balance and everything seems reliant on Tanev's results.

If the Maple Leafs get the worst news regarding Ekman-Larsson, and get some bad mews regarding Tanev, it could spark the team to make a trade in order to bring someone else aboard, and with their minor leaguers also dealing with injuries and illnesses; it may be a necessity.

Toronto is heading into a stretch that is going to make or break their momentum heading into Christmas, and with six games in 10 days; the team has to make sure they stay healthy while also making sure they manage their goaltending properly to avoid any more disasters.

While the team awaits the results of Tanev's evaluation, and figure out where to go from here, the Maple Leafs are going to have to make sure they are prepared for whatever comes next, as it could determine the rest of their season.