Leafs' Berube, Rielly, Matthews Comment on Chris Tanev's Gutsy Performance and Injury Scare on Saturday
Chris Tanev had a bit of an injury scare on Saturday, but after returning to the game, his Maple Leafs teammates and head coach offered their thoughts on his gutsy performance.
Leafs Nation held its collective breath on Saturday when a blast from Mika Zibanejad hit Chris Tanev in the knee, forcing the veteran defenseman to leave the game in the late stages of the second period of an Eastern Conference matchup against the New York Rangers.
Thankfully, Tanev would return to the Leafs' bench in the first few minutes of the 3rd frame, which really impressed his coach and his teammates, who are hopeful that Tanev will not suffer any lingering effects from the shot block. One of the players who was complementary and appreciative of Tanev was captain Auston Matthews, who shared his thoughts on the play of the veteran blueliner on Saturday. Comments courtesy of The Hockey News' Nick Barden.
Tanev's D partner, Morgan Rielly, also chimed in on Tanev, highlighting Tanev's toughness and expressing his gratitude for the fact that Tanev didn't appear to be seriously injured on the play.
Leafs head coach Craig Berube was equally impressed with Tanev's heart and determination, but saw fit to reduce the defender's ice time in the third period. Berube admitted that perhaps he should have leaned on Tanev a little bit more than he did, but he ultimately made his decision and stuck to it.
With Tanev coming back, the shot off the knee was probably more of a stinger than anything, meaning that he'll likely be good to go for the Leafs' upcoming back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday. Nothing is set in stone yet, though, so we may have to wait and see.
Tanev was acquired by the Leafs on day two of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in a deal with the Dallas Stars. He signed a 6-year deal in Toronto just ahead of free agency.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 20 | 1948 ANSWERS Leafs' Berube, Rielly, Matthews Comment on Chris Tanev's Gutsy Performance and Injury Scare on Saturday Has Chris Tanev been worth his contract so far this season? | ||
| Yes, he's been great | 1426 | 73.2 % |
| He's just been okay for me | 415 | 21.3 % |
| He hasn't impressed me | 107 | 5.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
