The Toronto Maple Leafs have another key injury to their defense core.
During Toronto’s road game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Maple Leafs announced that veteran defenseman Chris Tanev wouldn’t return to the game.
Toronto entered play with a record of 2-2-1.
Toronto Maple Leafs Make Chris Tanev Announcement
During Toronto’s road game against Colorado, Tanev wasn’t seen on the bench, and he left the game with an injury.
The Maple Leafs announced Tanev won’t return due to an upper-body injury.
“Maple Leafs D Chris Tanev will not return to tonight’s game due to injury (upper body),” the Leafs PR wrote on X.
It’s not exactly clear what happened to Tanev, but the broadcast did notice one collision in the first period.
Tanev is a stud defenseman for the Maple Leafs, but he’s dealt with injuries for the last bit of his career. He was limited to just 11 games a year ago, and there was talk of him potentially retiring.
Yet, he was able to return, but Tanev is now injured again, and the hope for the Maple Leafs is that it isn’t serious. Tanev is a key part of Toronto’s blue line as he’s one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL.
Toronto GM Praises Tanev
Before the Maple Leafs season kicked off, Toronto general manager John Chayka had praise for Tanev.
Chayka was asked about the team’s blue line and felt like Tanev was going to be a big reason why they would have success.
“I like a lot of our defense. Like I said, I think we’ve got a proud group that’s ready to make a push on things,” Chayka said on Real Kyper & Bourne. “People also forget we lost Chris Tanev last season, so you’re adding him back to the mix as well. For my money, one of the best, if not the best, defensive defensemen in the game. I had the pleasure of watching Niklas Hjalmarsson in Arizona and what he was able to do for our group, not just on the ice but off the ice as well. I see a lot of that in Chris.”
However, Tanev is now injured and could be out for the forseeable future which would be a major blow to Toronto’s roster.
Chris Tanev Injury: What Happened to the Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman?