The Toronto Maple Leafs have had to endure a bevy of injuries to key players so far this season, not the least of which have been ailments to team captain Auston Matthews as well as starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
To add insult to injury, the Maple Leafs also recently lost goaltender Joseph Woll, though the good news on that front is that he isn’t expected to miss extended time.
Speaking of having missed extended time, that was the situation that veteran defenseman Chris Tanev found himself in when he was placed on Long Term Injured Reserve after he was injured following a hit from Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov on Nov. 1.
Tanev had just returned from a stint on Injured Reserve when he was hurt in October in a game against the New Jersey Devils.
However, Tanev has been skating with his teammates during recent practice sessions, albeit in a red no-contact jersey.
According to head coach Craig Berube, Tanev will undergo further evaluation later this week on Wednesday, and more information is expected to be known at that point.
“We’ll see,” Berube said when asked of Tanev’s status. “He is getting looked at this week — Wednesday, I believe — so we should know some more information after that in terms of where he is at. He feels good. He’s skating and working hard. But we’ll have to see when he is looked at on Wednesday.”
Tanev has been limited to eight games this season, and has registered a pair of assists during that time.
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Berube Provided Updates On Injured Toronto Maple Leafs Goalies Joseph Woll, Anthony Stolarz
The Maple Leafs are currently relying on goaltender Dennis Hildeby, who was recently recalled from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies following the injury to Woll.
Woll had been starting in place of Stolarz, who hasn’t played since just before the midway point of November. According to Berube, the status of Stolarz isn’t encouraging.
“There actually is not right now,” he said about a potential update on Stolarz. “He is still not on the ice. I am not sure yet where he is at.”
As far as Woll is concerned, the news is more positive.
“He is progressing the right way,” Berube said. “As I said, it is probably going to be a week.”
Berube had good things to say about the performance of Hildeby against the Carolina Hurricanes, stopping all nine shots that he faced in relief of Woll and also turned aside 33 shots from the Montreal Canadiens during Saturday evening’s 2-1 shootout loss at Scotiabank Arena.
“He’s been good,” Berube said of Hildeby. “Coming in the other night in Carolina, he closed the door for us in that game and looked very calm and cool in there. Last night, again, he was good. He gave us a chance to win the game.”
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Chris Tanev Is Playing In His Second Season With The Leafs
Tanev, who was dealt from the Calgary Flames to the Dallas Stars at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, joined the Maple Leafs later that offseason with a six-year, $27 million contract.
Tanev appeared in 75 games during his inaugural campaign with the Maple Leafs, scoring three goals while adding 15 assists. He also averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time per outing.
Along with fellow injured defenseman Brandon Carlo, Tanev is a key piece of the Toronto blue line that they hope can return to game action soon.
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