The Toronto Maple Leafs are struggling right now, with multiple losses in a row that understandably have fans feeling some angst.
The Maple Leafs, who face Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild on Thursday evening in Toronto, will be scratching a veteran defenseman as part of a planned maintenance schedule.
The Leafs will not have defenseman Chris Tanev, who has already missed considerable time this season with injury, in the lineup; Cole McWard will draw in for him and take his place.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Are Scratching Defenseman Chris Tanev Against The Oilers
The Maple Leafs announced that Tanev would not be playing on Thursday against the Wild as part of planned maintenance in the wake of the veteran defenseman dealing with a myriad of injury troubles over the last several months.
Earlier this week, Tanev said that he’s not a fan of the arrangement, but that he gets that it’s part of the long game after missing so much time.
“I don’t agree with it, but I understand where he’s coming from,” he said Tuesday. “I haven’t really been healthy for the last year, so I think he wants me to be able to play in January, February and March.”
Meanwhile, head coach Jim Hiller said that he believes Tanev understands their reasoning.
“I think he spoke to it the other day,” Hiller said. “I think he knows we have his best interests at heart. He’s a good teammate. He’s a good player, and when he’s called upon, he plays hard. So he understands all that.”
Again, I’m not going to get into all that. He spoke. We’ve talked about it. He’s going to play the next game. We’ll just leave it at that for now.”
As far as the data and sports science behind the decision, Hiller said that the club feels good about their decision-making process.
“Yeah, there’s everything,” Hiller said. “I think we have great resources and a crack staff up and down. Everybody’s involved, it’s debated, a good decision’s made, and then everybody moves forward.”
Chris Tanev Recently Returned From Injury
Tanev missed nine games earlier this season before returning for Toronto’s matchup on Halloween.
So far this season, Tanev has skated in 10 games and has registered an assist.
Maple Leafs Announce Critical Chris Tanev News