Tanev suffered the groin injury on Dec. 28 against the Red Wings, but didn't have surgery until early March.
Chris Tanev hoped he'd be spending this time gearing up for a playoff run with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But that just wasn't in the cards.
The 36-year-old hasn't played since Dec. 28 against the Detroit Red Wings after leaving that game with what was called at the time a groin injury.
"It was the last shift in the Detroit game, and I took a step and felt a pop," Tanev said on Thursday about how he picked up the injury. "When that happened, I knew it wasn't good, and I think it sort of confirmed that the next day.
"Every doctor I saw said the exact same thing, that you need surgery."
Over the next two months, the veteran defender took time to rest and recover, in hopes that the Maple Leafs could make a push for the playoffs. He skated during the Olympic break, and it appeared possible he could return in due time.
Toronto was six points out of a playoff spot coming out of the break, but ended up losing its first eight games following the Olympics. That was the nail in the coffin for the Maple Leafs' season.
Tanev then underwent "core muscle surgery" in New York City on Mar. 4.
"I was hoping we were going to be in a playoff spot and I could try to come back and play in April. That was the goal, and then if that was the case, I would have surgery after that," Tanev said on Thursday.
"But sort of coming out of the break, we didn't play as well as we wanted, so it sort of gave me an opportunity to do it then, where I could have a bit of a runway to get ready for next season."
It wasn't just that injury that Tanev dealt with this season. He also suffered a concussion fairly early on in the year — against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 21 — and in his first game back, suffered another upper-body injury after an awkward hit from Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov, which forced Tanev off the ice on a stretcher.
He ended up missing the entire month of November and much of December before returning for three games in the back half of the month. And then the groin injury ultimately ended his 11-game season.
"Play 11 games, it's not good," said Tanev of the injury troubles this season. "Definitely sucks doing that, and obviously watching wasn't great as well, as we did not do what we needed to do on the ice."
Despite being the oldest player on the team and, as we saw this year in the games he was healthy for, constantly fighting Father Time, Tanev still believes he can be a crucial part of the Maple Leafs' success next year.
The veteran defender has four more seasons on his deal with the Maple Leafs, which pays him $4.5 million annually.
"[I'm] very confident," Tanev said when asked how convinced he is that he'll be back just as strong next season, even though he's a year older. "I feel like I work harder than anyone, and I will continue to do that to get to where I need to be."
"I still love hockey and love being around the guys," he continued, "and I want to win more than ever, so it's pretty simple for me."