Auston Matthews continues to deal with a lingering upper-body injury. Would it be best for the team and player to rest in February during the 4 Nations Face-Off? Fresh off the NHL’s three-day holiday break, the Toronto Maple Leafs took to the ice for a morning skate ahead of their Friday matchup with the Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/]. One notable participant was defenseman Chris Tanev, who missed Monday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets/] with a lower-body injury despite taking warmups with the club. Though present for the morning session, skating alongside Jake McCabe [https://x.com/dalter/status/1872683320771031109] on the second pairing inside Little Caesars Arena, head coach Craig Berube labeled Tanev as a ‘game-time decision’ for Friday’s game. “He’s feeling pretty good so he’ll be a game-time decision," said Berube after practice. Following Monday's contest, Berube said the defenseman picked up the injury amid Toronto's 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] on Saturday. Tanev was previously one of six members of the Leafs to have played in all 34 games leading into their meeting with the Jets. With his surprise scratch, the club did have to shake up the blueline, but it's a good sign that Tanev returned to the ice and participated with the team on Friday morning. If Tanev is unable to go, the Maple Leafs are likely to continue with a similar defensive configuration to the one used on Monday, which had Conor Timmins inserted into the lineup – who skated as the seventh d-man on Friday morning. However, Timmins did not stay on the ice after practice for any additional work — a common routine for players expected to be scratched. This suggests that the decision on Tanev's availability is genuinely up in the air. Though his health seems to be looking up, it’ll be interesting to see how the club maneuvers his workload. The veteran has averaged 19:36 of total ice time this season and yet another back-to-back is on the horizon against the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/] on Saturday. Tanev currently leads the NHL in the blocked shots department with 99 and his potential return would be a significant boost against a Red Wings team the Leafs lost to two weeks ago. Should Tanev play, it will provide a more structured defensive effort after giving up five goals to the Jets in his absence on Monday. The 16-year NHLer has one goal and nine assists in 34 games this season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, break news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
