Chris Tanev won't be happy with the Maple Leafs after they decided to sit him yet again for what they call load management especially after his latest comments.
The Maple Leafs decided to sit Chris Tanev for load management earlier this season and it did not sit well with the veteran defender. He wants to play and while there are concerns about injuries - he's currently healthy.
It's more about protecting him and considering the team still has a few years left with him on the roster, they want to maximize his time on the ice especially after two years of injuries.
Tanev takes a seat in the press box again as load management strikes
But for a veteran like Tanev, that's not sitting well because he's not currently being held back by anything but management, and their latest decision is going to tick him off more:
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According to TSN's Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs have decided to sit Tanev yet again as they look to finally get back in the win column against the Minnesota Wild.
Young defenseman Cold McWard will take his place, and while he put up a solid game in his debut against the Devils - he's nowhere near the level of defensive player that Tanev is even in his older years.
Tanev, 36, has one assist in ten games this season and while he's been a helpful piece of the defense, he's not near the level needed to truly shut down those top match-ups.
Toronto needs to make a serious decision with Chris Tanev
It's bad news that 20 games into the season we are already concerned about lineup management with Tanev and the fact that this is now an 84-game schedule doesn't do him or the Maple Leafs any favours.
There's a serious question about what to do with Tanev because one more serious injury could put his career in serious jeopardy, but he's going to start resenting the team the more they keep sitting him when healthy.
At least he'll be in for Saturday's game against the Oilers, which head coach Jim Hiller confirmed on Thursday afternoon:
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The best course of action is to sit Tanev on back-to-backs or those 'two games in three days' stretches, but let him play when there's more than enough rest time in between.
Get the most out of a healthy Tanev while you can Toronto, you might not have that for much longer.
Do you think the Maple Leafs should move on from Chris Tanev?
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