Doctor Provides Assessment of Injury to Maple Leafs Defenseman Chris Tanev

Ahead of the second period of last night's win in Boston, the Leafs announced that Chris Tanev would not return to the game after suffering an upper-body injury in the first period.

Tanev took a huge hit along the boards after clearing the puck from the Leafs' zone and favoured his arm while hunched over, skating to the bench.

Leafs head coach Craig Berube, as he usually does following games, did not provide much of an update on Tanev's injury, outside of saying that he would be re-evaluated in the coming days.

According to Sportsnet's Luke Fox, Tanev left TD Garden with his right arm in a sling, indicating the injury could be more severe than originally thought.

On Tuesday night, Dr. Harjas Grewal took to 'X' and provided an assessment of Tanev's injury and an expected recovery time. Dr. Grewal explained that the most likely and "best-case scenario" is that Tanev suffered a separated shoulder, which would sideline the 35-year-old for 1-3 weeks.

Dr. Grewal also noted that it could be a broken collarbone, but it is unlikely given that Tanev was able to move his arm. If Dr. Grewal is correct, the Leafs will take the 1-3 weeks and a separated shoulder over the 8-12 weeks for a broken collarbone.

While some may question the assessment by Dr. Grewal, the British Columbia based doctor has worked two international events - the 2019 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships and 2022 U17 World Hockey Challenge. He is certainly equipped to provide a professional opinion.

Unfortunately, the timing of Tanev's injury couldn't be worse, given that the NHL's trade deadline is just over a week away. Depending on the results of further testing, Brad Treliving may have to pivot from making a big addition to the forward group to shoring up the blueline while Tanev is out.