Berube's remarks about Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev bring recent report into question

The Maple Leafs are still without two of their most important defenders as Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo remain sidelined due to injury.

Tanev has been working diligently behind the scenes, skating with his teammates in recent days, going from a red, non-contact jersey, to regular black and then back to red, creating some confusion among the fan base.

A report from Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos this week suggested that Tanev and the Leafs are pondering surgery for the veteran defenseman after back to back head injuries derailed his season. Kypreos likened Tanev's injury to the one suffered by Jake Muzzin prior to his retirement, which made everyone nervous.

Now, some comments from Berube are making people question the original report's validity. According to Berube, Tanev has not yet met with doctors and is expected to be re-evaluated this afternoon. He also mentioned that Tanev is awaiting his "medical clearance", which could suggest that he is seeking a more imminent return.

It's tough to know what to make of all of this, as the information continues to trickle in. We do know that Kypreos is well-connected, but with Berube being employed by the team, he's privy to all of the information that the rest of the work is not.

If Berube says Tanev is awaiting his medical clearance, perhaps Kypreos' source was mistaken. However, it could also be some smoke and mirrors by the Leafs to prevent any panic and speculation before the team has all of the information.

At this point, Tanev has not seen any game action in over a month, and although he has been skating, the team will need to make sure that he can safely take contact before allowing him back into the lineup.