When the Maple Leafs signed Chris Tanev in 2024, the objective was to change the way the team defended.
asserted
team → sign → way
Surviving the difficult minutes and exiting the defensive zone often decide whether a team wins or loses hockey games and the veteran defenceman did that in spades.
asserted
defenceman → survive → spades
The 36-year-old’s greatest strength may also have contributed to his declining health.
uncertain
strength → contribute → health
Tanev’s style of play can be described as heroic.
asserted
style → describe → play
He blocks shots with every part of his body.
asserted
He → block → body
He wins battles against heavier players in the corners.
asserted
He → win → corners
He takes crushing hits to get the puck out.
asserted
He → take → puck
He clears the crease to protect his goalies.
asserted
He → clear → goalies
All in all, he absorbs punishment for the good of the team and treats pain like a minor inconvenience.
asserted
he → absorb → inconvenience
Tanev is the kind of player who makes everyone else look better.
asserted
everyone → make → player
He’s a coach’s dream.
asserted
He → ’ → ?
And that’s what makes losing him to injury so tough on the Leafs.
asserted
losing → ’ → Leafs
Tanev left Saturday’s game in Colorado after a collision in front of Toronto’s net.
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Tanev → leave → net
He was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, and after sitting out Tuesday night’s game in Utah he’ll also miss at least the next two.
asserted
he → place → two
There’s reason to worry it could be longer.
uncertain
it → ’ → ?
And even if he does come back in short order, the worry of losing him again will linger.
asserted
worry → come → him
He suffered a concussion, endured a serious spinal injury after an awkward collision, dealt with a groin problem and eventually required surgery for a significant core-muscle tear.
asserted
He → suffer → tear
He played only 11 games, a career low.
asserted
He → play → games
Now, while there’s no confirmed diagnosis, there’s speculation that he could be dealing with recurring symptoms on his spine and nerves.
uncertain
he → ’ → spine
Even during Tanev’s rehabilitation training this summer, there were questions being asked: Can he still play 60-plus games?
asserted
he → be → games
Could he remain healthy enough to handle a playoff series if the Leafs found a way in?
uncertain
Leafs → remain → way
Can they count on him when the games become heavier and the hits become harder?
asserted
hits → count → him
Unfortunately for Tanev and his team, the heart and soul of this blue line appears to be trending in the wrong direction.
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heart → appear → direction
There is no single moment that explains why he has become prone to injuries.
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he → be → injuries
It is the cumulative effect of years spent sacrificing his body for the next defensive play.
asserted
It → spend → play
Tanev did not suddenly become fragile.
asserted
Tanev → become → ?
The damage simply caught up with the way he has always played.
asserted
he → catch → way
It doesn’t help that in 92 games for the Leafs he’s been smashed around like a pinata while teammates watched.
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teammates → help → pinata
You’d have to think those who’ve been around for a while feel a bit bad that this has happened under their watch.
asserted
this → have → watch
For a team that has been accused of being soft in the past, Tanev is in many ways paying the price for that today.
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Tanev → accuse → that
So, what can the Leafs do now?
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Leafs → do → what
They can shuffle the pairings, call up some minor-leaguers and try to replace some of his ice time.
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They → shuffle → time
They can try to trade for another depth defenceman or find one cast off by another team, like Troy Stecher last season.
asserted
They → try → Stecher
But none of those are viable solutions for a team that wants to get back in the playoffs, which puts general manager John Chayka in a tough spot.
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which → want → spot
The way former GM Brad Treliving emptied out the draft pick cupboard to build a roster for deep playoff runs that never materialized has made acquiring a top-four defenceman next to impossible.
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that → empty → defenceman
Since Chayka traded his biggest trade chip, Matthew Knies, for another forward in Kirill Marchenko, he’d have to part with Colorado’s 2027 first-rounder and a top prospect (and the Leafs don’t have many of those) to get something done.
asserted
something → trade → those
Chayka himself would probably want a mulligan on trading away Brandon Carlo for two third-round picks in the summer.
asserted
Chayka → want → summer
The veteran defenceman is playing 18 minutes a night for the St. Louis Blues.
asserted
defenceman → play → Blues
All this makes Tanev’s absence devastating for a team that built its defence around the assumption he would be the adult in the room.
asserted
he → make → room
Without him, Toronto has to defend by committee.
asserted
Toronto → have → committee
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
