Uncertainty grows as Chris Tanev seeks a second opinion on his status
Photo credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Although Chris Tanev was evaluated for his upper-body injury, he's going to need a second opinion to see if he's healthy enough to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It's been over a month since Chris Tanev took the ice for the Maple Leafs after suffering an upper-body injury during a game vs. Philadelphia. It was a scary scene that had led to a lot of speculation as to his future this season.
We saw some positive news as Tanev has been skating with the team during practices however was recently seen in a non-contact jersey; a step-back from him appearing in a normal practice jersey only days prior.
That regression may be due to him not being exactly 100%, and even though he got an evaluation, he's not in the clear yet.
Chris Tanev seeking second opinion as Leafs fans hold their breath
Per David Alter of The Hockey News, head coach Craig Berube informed the media that Tanev is going to be seeking a second opinion for his injury, after the first evaluation seemed to not go as planned.
He's getting a second opinion which we'll get here soon, hopefully, and then we'll go from there.
It was reported earlier in the week by Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos that he Maple Leafs and Tanev were contemplating surgery to fix what's ailing Tanev, in the hopes that he could return late in the season at full strength.
With the news that Tanev is going for a second opinion, that doesn't really mean great news. While it's completely possible that Tanev feels good enough and wanted another opinion to confirm that; that feels like an unlikely situation.
What lies ahead for Maple Leafs after Tanev update
Concussions are a tricky injury to deal with because the symptoms aren't necessarily apparent right away. We heard previously that Tanev was lucid and feeling alright, but that doesn't mean issues could have spring up between then and now.
The team needs to be very careful with how they approach things. If Tanev is given the green light after the second opinion, then it's great news for the lineup but he can't be rushed in.
Just because he has the okay doesn't mean is he okay, and giving him a bit of a break to heal up more (even until after Christmas) would be best if the team is wanting to use him as soon as possible.
But on the inverse, they are going to have a very tough schedule without much rest, so there's a chance even more bodies go down, necessitating Tanev coming back in regardless.
Plus, if he does need to come in during that stretch, he's not getting much respite and the team could be back to square one with no real clue about what the future holds for Tanev this season and beyond.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 12 | 894 ANSWERS Uncertainty grows as Chris Tanev seeks a second opinion on his status Do you think Chris Tanev needs to have surgery or will he be alright? | ||
| Needs surgery | 606 | 67.8 % |
| He'll be okay! | 288 | 32.2 % |
| List of polls | ||