Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev suffered an upper-body injury in the team’s latest game, a win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Tanev left the game in the first period and did not return. The exact details of the injury have not been revealed, but the specialized website PuckPedia has published an update.
According to the site, the Maple Leafs are preparing to place Tanev on Injured Reserve and recall defenseman Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies.
If that happens, it would indicate that the Toronto franchise expects Tanev to be out of action for a considerable period, or at least a week, since that is the requirement for placing him on IR.
When a player is placed on Injured Reserve, they must miss at least seven days from the date of the injury or their last game played. At a minimum, he would miss the Maple Leafs’ next three games against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, Oct. 13; the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, Oct. 15; and the New York Islanders on Oct. 17.
“Leafs have placed D Chris Tanev on IR and recalled D Marshall Rifai from the Marlies,” PuckPedia’s NHL roster manager wrote on his official X (Twitter) account.
What Did Maple Leafs HC Jim Hiller Say About Chris Tanev?
After the win, Hiller appeared before the media and broke his silence on Tanev’s situation.
“What’s the latest on Tanev?” Hiller was asked. He responded, “Don’t know. I don’t know. I haven’t… There’s been lots going on here, so I haven’t really talked to anybody about him. We’ll probably know more tomorrow or the next day. Tomorrow’s a day off, so it might be a couple of days.”
On what his level of concern is, considering what he dealt with last year, he said, “Yeah, I mean, you’re always concerned. Yeah, whether it’s him or anybody, if a player isn’t able to finish the game. So, yeah, I’m always concerned about my players.”
Last season, Tanev played just 11 games due to several injury setbacks involving upper-body issues and abdominal problems. He also underwent core muscle surgery in March 2026, which sidelined him for the rest of the regular season.
He also missed time during the 2024-25 season due to upper-body issues. Despite Tanev’s injury, the Maple Leafs finished the game confident they can beat the NHL’s best teams and believe they are back in the elite category they need to stay in to contend for a playoff spot.
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