The Toronto Maple Leafs will remain without defenseman Chris Tanev after placing the veteran on injured reserve retroactive to Saturday, when he suffered the injury.
Tanev left Saturday’s 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche after only five shifts with what Toronto called an upper-body injury. The defenseman remained with the team for Tuesday’s game in Utah but did not practice Monday.
Leafs head coach Jim Hiller said Monday that he does not have a firm timeline for his return yet.
“No, not a great sense of that,” Hiller said when asked how long Tanev could be out, per The Hockey News’ David Alter. “Just set him there for now and see where it goes.”
Hiller also declined to provide additional detail on the injury, saying, “I’m not going to get into any of that.”
Tanev’s placement on injured reserve guarantees another stretch without one of Toronto’s most important defensive players. The 36-year-old played only 11 games last season while dealing with multiple injuries, and his IR placement will keep him out for at least seven days.
Hiller said the Maple Leafs will have to compensate collectively rather than expect one player to replace Tanev.
“When a guy like that goes out for a time, you just do it by committee,” Hiller said. “But the guys responded well. They fought like crazy on Saturday night.”
Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Toronto recalled defenseman Marshall Rifai from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies after moving Tanev to injured reserve. Rifai practiced Monday alongside Nick Blankenburg, while Morgan Rielly skated with Troy Stecher and Jake McCabe remained with Darren Raddysh.
Tanev’s return date remains undetermined as Toronto visits the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night, with puck drop set for 9 p.m. ET.
