Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury sustained in Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.
The veteran was forced out early in the first period after what appeared to be a relatively routine collision in front of his own net involving Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen.
Chris Tanev, who’s currently signed to a six-year, $27 million contract with the Leafs, skated just five shifts before leaving the game and will miss at least the next week.
Toronto sports host Sid Seixeiro did not hold back when discussing the situation and reckons the Leafs will not make the playoffs in Tanev’s absence.
“Freaked out at what happened to Chris Tanev… a rather innocuous collision in front of his own net… this put Tanev out of the game on Saturday, and he’s on IR, and he’s going to miss a week. They’re not making the playoffs if he doesn’t play here, guys,” said Sid.
He added:
“If number eight doesn’t play, the Leafs do not make the playoffs. Period. End of story. End of discussion. They are not deep enough. They are not strong enough. They are not skilled enough on their back end, as we saw last year, to survive without Tanev. They drowned without him last year.”
Seixeiro also pushed back against calls for general manager John Chayka to make a trade, questioning what assets the Maple Leafs could realistically move to upgrade the defense.
Chris Tanev’s injury raises fresh concerns about the Maple Leafs’ defensive depth
Chris Tanev‘s latest injury has once again highlighted the Toronto Maple Leafs’ thin margin for error on the blue line.
The veteran missed the vast majority of last season after undergoing core surgery and was limited to just 11 games. Without him, the Leafs’ defense struggled significantly, and the team failed to make the playoffs.
Tanev’s early exit has revived those same worries for the Leafs as we advance into the season. Questions are now mounting about how much the Leafs can realistically rely on him over a full season and whether the current group behind him is deep enough to carry the load if he misses extended time again.
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Edited by Abhishek Dilta
