Craig Berube Provides Update on Leafs Defenseman Chris Tanev After 2-Week Absence

The Toronto Maple Leafs are dealing with injuries all across their lineup with forwards Auston Matthews and Scott Laughton now joining defensemen Chris Tanev on the injured reserve.

Overall, it's been a rough couple of weeks for the Leafs and things have only gotten worse since Tanev was forced out of their contest 2 weeks ago against the Philadelphia Flyers. Since then, they've gone 2-3-1 but have allowed 25 goals along the way and have been outshot 216 to 140.

Unfortunately, a return to the lineup isn't necessarily on the horizon, according to head coach Craig Berube, who says he's trending in the right direction, but they still don't know how much longer he needs.

While it's a positive sign that he's at least trending in the right direction, the fact that the Leafs don't know how much longer he needs, or at least have a timeline for his return is somewhat worrisome, especially with two head injuries in such close proximity.

When Tanev played the Flyers, he was making his return from a 2-week absence after he was forced out of their game against New Jersey with what was deemed a concussion.

His subsequent return was spoiled by a collision with Flyers forward Matvei Michkov, where Tanev fell to the ice and had his head snap back concerningly. He was being tended to by the medical staff for quite some time before being stretchered off and heading to a nearby hospital for further observation.

In his absence, the Leafs have stumbled in recent games, and it's safe to say they're playing some of the worst hockey we've seen from them in a very long time. Before the injuries, Tanev was averaging 20:39 TOI, was a plus-4, had an assist, and blocked 7 shots in 6 games, as the Leafs held a 3-2-1 record.

At this stage, it remains to be seen when we can expect Tanev back in the lineup. In the meantime, the Leafs will have to manage without their top pairing defensemen and find a way to get back on track in a hurry.