- Chris Tanev left Saturday’s win over the Avalanche with an upper-body injury
- The Maple Leafs defenseman played 3:29 and did not return after the 11:08 mark of the first period
- Read below for his injury history and what it could mean for Toronto’s blue line
Chris Tanev is hurt again.
The Maple Leafs defenseman left Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche with an upper-body injury and did not return, the team announced before the second period. Toronto still pulled out a 6-3 win in Denver.
Check out the team’s announcement:
Tanev took five shifts and logged 3:29 of ice time. He hadn’t been on the ice since the 11:08 mark of the first period.
Accounts differ on what caused it. A broadcast replay appeared to show a small collision with Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen in front of Sergei Bobrovsky, while another report had Tanev overextending his shoulder as he defended a shot.
Head coach Jim Hiller told reporters after the game that he didn’t have an update on Tanev’s status.
This is a rough break for a 36-year-old who played only 11 games last season. Tanev dealt with spinal trauma and core muscle surgery, and he missed about a month and a half last November after leaving a game on a stretcher. He had been healthy through the first five games this year, skating 19:31 a night next to Morgan Rielly with an assist and a plus-2 rating.
Toronto ran 11 forwards and seven defensemen, which gave Nick Blankenburg his Leafs debut. He scored on his first shift, three minutes into the game. We covered his one-year signing back on Sept. 27.
The Leafs got through it thanks to William Nylander, who finished with five points and passed 700 for his career. Here’s our recap of his night, along with our tweet on the milestone:
If Tanev misses time, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the next veteran in line to draw in. Pro Hockey Rumors pointed out that Toronto has already been linked to Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud, and an extended Tanev absence would add to that push.
