Surgery now on the table for Chris Tanev, and it could define the Maple Leafs season
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
According to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, Chris Tanev could be considering surgery, and his decision will no doubt define how the Maple Leafs season turns out.
It's been over a month since Chris Tanev participated in a game for the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering an upper-body injury during a contest against Philadelphia on Nov 1, being hit from behind by Matvei Michkov.
It was a scary incident that shook both sides, and while Tanev was stretchered off, he did seem to avoid a worst-case scenario. It was still going to take him some time to recover, however we've already seen some great progress with him skating at practices over the past week.
However he is being evaluated on Wednesday and that will determine a lot of how the team approaches things going forward. While fans hold their breath for good news, there are always other possibilities that can spring forth.
Chris Tanev may be considering surgery as Maple Leafs wait for doctor's evaluation
Nick Kypreos brought one of these up in his Dec. 9th article, as he discussed the extent of Tanev's injury and what the future might hold.
Kypreos wrote:
At this point, Tanev and the team are considering whether or not he will have some sort of structural surgery that will help him return and a decision on that will be made this week. If he does lean towards having surgery, the hope would be for him to return well before the end of the regular season.
It would be great if Tanev could eventually return stronger than ever however that would give Toronto a huge handicap heading into the latter stretch of the season.
Also when does later in the season entail? February? March? Playoff time? There's so many unanswered questions and Toronto's not going to give many hints as to what to expect.
Where Toronto goes if Chris Tanev needs surgery
If Toronto does get news that Tanev needs surgery, then it's going to make the next few months quite interesting. With no idea when Brandon Carlo or Anthony Stolarz are to return, and Tanev out long-term, Toronto may spring to make a deal.
While they would love to improve their top-six, they can't afford to be running a defensive corps full of depth options, especially if they are hunting for a playoff spot.
Right now they don't have a lot of assets to deal away, and while there are certainly names on the market, it's going to be a choice between waiting things out for Tanev, or splurge for another defenseman and hope they can replace Tanev's production in the interim.
But right now, the team has to wait until Wednesday to get a clear answer on what Chris Tanev's future holds, and if surgery is at the forefront, it might be what pushes Toronto out of contending as his return may be too little, too late.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 9 | 1196 ANSWERS Surgery now on the table for Chris Tanev, and it could define the Maple Leafs season Do you think Chris Tanev is going to need surgery? | ||
| Yes | 871 | 72.8 % |
| No | 325 | 27.2 % |
| List of polls | ||