Tanev was assessed on Wednesday, but the results haven't come to Berube quite yet.
The Toronto Maple Leafs still don't have clarity on when defenseman Chris Tanev could return to the lineup.
Tanev, who's been out since Nov. 1 with an upper-body injury, has skated with the team several times since returning to the ice. Wednesday's skate, though, was his first full practice with his teammates (while wearing a red non-contact jersey), and Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said afterward that he would be evaluated.
The veteran was on the ice not even 24 hours later — again, wearing a red jersey — inside Scotiabank Arena for Toronto's optional morning skate. So, how did Tanev's evaluation go?
"We're still waiting for the results. I don't know yet," Berube said on Thursday morning. "I wish I did, but can't speed him up."
Earlier this week on the Real Kyper and Bourne show, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported that Tanev and the Maple Leafs, along with doctors, were trying to decide whether the veteran defenseman needed surgery to treat whatever was ailing him.
Report: Maple Leafs And Chris Tanev To Decide Whether Defenseman Needs Surgery For Upper-Body Injury
Tanev hasn't seen game action since Nov. 1 in Philadelphia.
"There's a sense that they're going to come to some sort of decision on whether or not he needs some surgery or not, for whatever's ailing him," Kypreos said. "There's a belief that, if they do it, he will not be out the rest of the season."
Following Toronto's morning skate on Thursday, ahead of their game against the San Jose Sharks, Berube was asked point blank whether surgery could be on the table for Tanev. His response:
"No, not right now. I don't believe that's going to be an option right now. Just got to be patient and wait for the results."
Tanev initially went down with an upper-body injury after taking an awkward hit from Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov on Nov. 1 and leaving the game on a stretcher. He's missed the last 17 games with the ailment.
The game against the Flyers was his first back after recovering from a concussion suffered just under two weeks earlier against the New Jersey Devils. Tanev has appeared in eight games this season for Toronto, scoring two assists and averaging 17:20 of ice time.
He's in the second season of a six-year, $27 million contract. Tanev signed the deal — which has an annual average value of $4.5 million — on July 1, 2024, after being acquired from the Dallas Stars a few days earlier.
Latest Stories:
Could Joseph Woll Return To The Maple Leafs Lineup As Soon As Saturday?