Insider Addresses Chris Tanev's Absence; It Doesn't Sound Good for the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
A former NHLer turned NHL Insider has shared some concerning comments regarding Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev, who is still sidelined due to injury.
Acquired on deadline day last Friday, Brandon Carlo was a necessity for the Leafs and GM Brad Treliving to shore up their blueline, especially in light of the injury to Chris Tanev.
Tanev was injured at the end of February against, ironically, Carlo and the Bruins after he took a heavy hit along the boards in the first period.
What was initially supposed to keep the 35-year-old out just a handful of games has turned into a lengthy absence that has really underlined the Leafs' need for him in the lineup.
On Tuesday's edition of 'The Real Kyper and Bourne' show, Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne dissected his absence and how much it has hurt the Leafs.
"You need Tanev to make this all work, which is terrifying when you need one player this much, but such is life with the Leafs," said Bourne.
Kypreos quickly chimed in, raising concerns about Tanev's absence and his status for Thursday's game.
"You got to see signs of this blueline getting better here quickly. We're not even sure what's going on with Tanev and what really should have been a start Saturday night against Colorado is questionable Thursday against Florida.
You're now under 20 games left in the season and your best and most reliable defenseman right now has a questionable injury. That's not a good sign for a team that's thinking it's going to win the division and go deep in the playoffs... I don't envision any playoff success without Tanev."
You're now under 20 games left in the season and your best and most reliable defenseman right now has a questionable injury. That's not a good sign for a team that's thinking it's going to win the division and go deep in the playoffs... I don't envision any playoff success without Tanev."
While fatigue from the team having played 12 of their last 15 games on the road is a likely excuse, the loss of Tanev has made it abundantly clear just how much he does for the Leafs.
Not only does he eat 20-plus minutes per game, but he is a major cog on their penalty kill and is the other half of what was the one of the NHL's best shutdown pairs, along with Jake McCabe.
The Leafs are hopeful Tanev will be back in the lineup soon -- possibly Thursday -- depending how he feels at practice, but until then, the Leafs will need both Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers to be much better along with the rest of the defensive corps.
| POLL | ||
MARS 12 | 2238 ANSWERS Insider Addresses Chris Tanev's Absence; It Doesn't Sound Good for the Maple Leafs Does Chris Tanev's injury concern you? | ||
| Yes | 978 | 43.7 % |
| No | 668 | 29.8 % |
| Kind of, but I'd rather him healthy for playoffs | 592 | 26.5 % |
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