Bad News for Chris Tanev After Leaving the Bruins Game with Major Injury
It was a serious bit of bad news for the Maple Leafs as defenseman Chris Tanev left Tuesday's game with an injury with the team facing a crucial point in the season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs endured a thriller on Tuesday night as they overcame two separate deficits to beat the Boston Bruins in overtime after the heroics of Mitch Marner; who has quickly started to become a very clutch player when it matters.
But it wasn't all good news for the team as defenseman Chris Tanev left the game early after getting hit by the Bruins' John Beecher.
It was concerning as Tanev left in a lot of pain as he headed to the locker room. The team announced that he would not return.
Though it was what was seen afterward that has everybody concerned. Post-game, Tanev was seen leaving TD Garden with his arm in a sling, and will have his injury evaluated tomorrow.
It's a serious bad omen for the Maple Leafs if Tanev is out long-term, as the veteran has been the glue holding the team's improved defense together and without him they'll be hard-pressed to find a replacement.
Chris Tanev's Injury A Major Loss For Maple Leafs
It's not a good sign that Tanev left the game let alone left in a sling, and this is some pretty bad news going forward for Toronto.
The hit looked innocent enough but clearly it wasn't and you can't fault Beecher for finishing a check, it just so happened to be an awkward finish against the boards for Tanev.
With him probably out for a while it'll be up to Jake McCabe to hold things down. Presumably he'll now play alongside Morgan Rielly or Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Toronto will rely on Conor Timmins or Philippe Myers for the time being.
It puts the pressure on GM Brad Treliving too as he needs to now figure out a defensive option pretty quickly when it comes to the trade deadline; this was the last thing the team needed.
This season, Tanev has been fantastic. In 56 games, he has two goals and 15 assists while adding 152 blocked shots and being the blueline leader for Toronto.
We will get an update on the extent of his injury on Wednesday however, if things are as bad as they look: Buckle up for a very bumpy ride.
