Leafs’ Chris Tanev undergoes surgery, expected back for 2026-27
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Wednesday morning that defenseman Chris Tanev will miss the remainder of the year after undergoing surgery to address a core muscle injury in New York City.
Maple Leafs D Chris Tanev underwent successful core muscle surgery today in New York City. He is expected to fully participate in training in September.
Tanev, who has missed the vast majority of the season with multiple separate injuries, is expected by the team to be ready to go next season for training camp in September.
On November 1, Tanev was taken off the ice on a stretcher and taken to a hospital for evaluation after a collision in a game in Philadelphia. He was then out of the lineup until December 23, when he played in three games before exiting the lineup with a groin injury.
In total, Tanev has made 11 appearances this season while recording to assists and skating to a plus-8 rating on an average of 17:58 of time on ice per game.
Tanev, a 36-year-old veteran who was in his second season with the Maple Leafs, has regularly struggled with injuries throughout his career. Since debuting during the 2010-11 campaign, the Ontario native has played in a full 82-game slate just once, in 2021-22 while with the Calgary Flames.
While playing without Tanev for stretches may have been foreseeable, going without him for virtually the entire season has severely drained Toronto’s defensive acumen.
The Leafs’ 211 goals against are the highest mark in the Eastern Conference and the second highest in the NHL, and their inability to keep the puck out of the net has doomed them to a 27-24-10 record, well outside the playoff picture.
That reality will likely force general manager Brad Treliving to sell off some veteran plays in exchange for future assets ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
In the latest edition of the Daily Faceoff NHL Trade Board, Matt Larkin has Bobby McMann, Simon Benoit, Scott Laughton and Nicolas Roy listed among the pieces Treliving could use to add to the organizational cupboard.