The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without veteran defenceman Chris Tanev for at least the next three games, as he was placed on the IR Sunday.
This comes following the Maple Leafs’ 6-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, when Tanev was ruled out of the game with an upper-body injury. There was no immediate update following the contest from head coach Jim Hiller postgame, but he was seen speaking and walking around with teammates following the win.
Chris Tanev Out Minimum of Three Games
Many are expecting an update ahead of the Maple Leafs matchup against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, to close out their first road trip of the season. At minimum, Tanev is set to miss Tuesday’s game, along with their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday and the New York Islanders on Saturday night. Whether or not he will need to miss more time is still up in the air.
For the Maple Leafs, this feels like deja vu, as the 36-year-old only suited up in 11 games during the 2025-26 season, after sustaining a concussion, spine, and groin injuries, leaving Toronto with a big hole on the defensive side of the puck. The Maple Leafs have looked like a different team with Tanev in the lineup; while he does not produce on the offensive side, he plays vital minutes against other teams’ top players and is a massive contributor on the penalty kill.
Due to the injury the Maple Leafs have called up defenceman Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies. The 28-year-old has four penalty minutes in three games with the Marlies this season, and played one game with the Maple Leafs just one season ago. Rifai has been no secret to missing time with injury, as he was placed on IR at the start of last season with a wrist injury that required surgery.
Auston Matthews Speaks on Marshall Rifai
Following a preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto captain Auston Matthews spoke on Rifai and the value he could bring to the blueline.
“I mean, that’s appreciated obviously, you know, guys sticking up for each other. That’s what it’s all about. And I will say, Marshall’s been around here for a bit now and he’s one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever come across. A guy, anytime he’s been called up, never complains, always doing extra, always finding ways to try to get better. It’s something you really appreciate when you see guys like that in the organization, and I was very appreciative of him dropping the gloves like that. He’s played some games with us the last couple of years, and each night he just competes and competes, and he’s got everybody’s back out there. So, it’s great.”
Whether Rifai will get his chance in the lineup remains unknown as Nick Blankenburg has a strong showing in his Maple Leafs debut, scoring the first goal of the game. Troy Stecher and Blankenburg are likely to round out the Maple Leafs defence core, while Darren Raddysh, Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson round out the top four.
The Maple Leafs are hoping for the best-case scenario, as you only have to wonder how many more injuries Tanev can possibly take at this point in his career.
Maple Leafs Lose Key Defenceman for at Least Three Games