Tanev hasn't seen game action since Nov. 1 in Philadelphia.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Chris Tanev reportedly have a decision to make.
The 35-year-old defenseman has been out with an upper-body injury since Nov. 1, after taking an awkward hit from Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov, causing him to leave the game on a stretcher.
Despite skating in recent weeks (and skating in a team setting last week), Tanev could still require surgery, according to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos on the Real Kyper and Bourne show.
"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 reported. "There's a belief that, if they do it, he will not be out the rest of the season."
Tanev has moved quite well whilst on the ice. But Kypreos adds that if the veteran defenseman could undergo surgery to lessen pain during contact, he could go down that route.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has been positive about Tanev's recovery process throughout the last week or so. Berube also mentioned that doctors will check over Tanev on Wednesday.
"We should know some information after that where he's at. He feels good. He's skating, working hard. But we'll have to see when he gets looked at on Wednesday."
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Tanev has skated, but not in a team setting, since suffering an upper-body injury on Nov. 1.
Tanev has only appeared in eight games with the Maple Leafs this season. The game against Philadelphia, where he was stretchered off, was his first appearance since recovering from a concussion which he suffered on Oct. 21 vs. the New Jersey Devils.
In his eight games this year, Tanev has registered two assists and has averaged 17:20 of ice time.
The defenseman is in the second season of a six-year, $27 million contract. He 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.
The Maple Leafs continue to deal with injuries. Joseph Woll went down with a lower-body injury on Dec. 4 and is on injured reserve, meaning he's eligible to return on Friday. There's still no clarity on Anthony Stolarz's upper-body injury, which he suffered on Nov. 11 against the Boston Bruins.
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Woll suffered the injury at some point during the second period of Thursday's game against Carolina.
Most recently, Dakota Mermis took a knee from Tampa Bay Lightning forward Gage Goncalves and needed help off the ice. We'll likely get more clarity on his status at Toronto's practice on Wednesday morning.
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