Tanev reveals that he sustained a concussion against the New Jersey Devils last week, but he appears to be all right now.
VOORHEES, N.J. — Chris Tanev appears as though he is good to make his return to the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup when the club visits the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.
“I feel good. I've been through all the steps and had to get into a full practice to sort of complete the protocol. And it went well today, so we'll see how tomorrow goes,” Tanev said on Friday.
Having had a concussion in the past, Tanev described the scary moments following his collision with New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer last week.
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Tanev was involved in a collision with New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer.
“You’re sort of stunned and a little bit confused, it's not ideal. But, yeah, I felt quite normal really soon after, which was nice,” Tanev said. “So, obviously, you go through the protocol and then the steps and whatever's necessary to get back to play”.
If returning, Tanev will likely skate alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson, as that’s how the duo skated as a pair at Friday’s practice.
The Leafs went 2-2-0 in the four games the veteran defenseman missed. In that time, Tanev has seen how his team has performed.
The club has struggled with a growing number of rush chances against and has been giving up too many opportunities. Mistakes have been leading to breakdowns that opponents have been capitalizing on.
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Tanev was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 21. Dakota Mermis has been recalled.
Addressing the team’s struggles, Tanev emphasized the necessity of detail.
“I think just getting back to doing the little things really well. Being hungry, working for each other, having numbers around pucks, having, I think, just wanting to help each other on the ice and be close to each other in case there are breakdowns. Because obviously it's a game of mistakes and things happen, and just having the ability to work hard to help a teammate out and bail a teammate out, and then just the ability to execute with our puck movement and, as I said, doing the little things, good sticks, blocking shots, staying out of the box, things like that”.
Tanev reiterated that focusing on fundamentals is key to success.
“The little things win games a lot of the time. And you do those things right, and then it gives the ability for your superstars to make a play when you need a play to be made. But I think just cleaning up how much we're giving up and sort of the chances we're giving up, and then checking, working for each other, and then we’ll be fine”.
The 35-year-old has one assist in seven games while averaging 17:42 of ice time per game.
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