Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs] defenseman Chris Tanev has hit yet another road block this season. The 36-year-old suffered a groin injury against the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 28, which is going to force him to miss significant time, per Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube [https://x.com/nickbarden/status/2006411538970689719?s=20]. "They're looking at things going forward here," Berube said after Toronto's optional practice on Wednesday. "I'm not going to speculate on what they're going to exactly do, but he's going to be out a while." In the third period of Sunday's game against Detroit, Tanev pulled up to block a shot from Alex DeBrincat. It appears that his leg got jammed when he went to stop, which forced him down to the ice in pain. Whether it was his final shift of the game is unknown. But for what it's worth, his last shift in the game came with 2:09 left in the third period, and only lasted 14 seconds. "It's kind of a freak thing more than anything," Berube said. "It's one of those things that happened, and unfortunate for him. You feel for him with what he's gone through this year, and us, too." No doubt this is an incredibly difficult situation for Tanev to go through. The veteran defenseman was playing in just his third game since returning from an upper-body injury, which caused him to miss a month and a half. He left Toronto's game on Nov. 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers on a stretcher after taking an awkward hit from Matvei Michkov. He returned to Toronto's lineup on Dec. 23 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. "Well, it's tough," added Berube. "He wants to be out there helping the team. It's been hard on him." It's not just on the ice where Tanev's presence is felt. After his first game back in the Maple Leafs' lineup, Max Domi highlighted his importance to the team [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/why-chris-tanev-s-impact-was-immediately-felt-in-first-game-back-with-maple-leafs] off the ice, too, with his leadership and professionalism. "I think if you look up 'Good Teammate' in the dictionary, there’s a definition for it, but (Tanev) would be right there," said Domi [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skfmGbUXshg]. "He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever come across. One of the best professionals. He’s the ultimate pro. He goes out there and empties the tank every shift. He does the hardest thing and eats pucks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. "That’s on the ice. You guys see all that stuff. But off the ice, his leadership and his experience, it just calms our whole group down. It gives us a lot of confidence, and knowing he’s out there, even on the bench, it’s a huge part of our group. We’re very lucky to have him." Toronto is now back in a familiar situation, with numerous players injured. It's not just Tanev who's sidelined, but also Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Dakota Joshua, Anthony Stolarz, and Brandon Carlo. Berube did supply updates on each of those players on Wednesday, following an optional practice. Joshua is the most significant, aside from Tanev. The 29-year-old went to throw a check on Sunday night and slammed right into the boards at the Maple Leafs' bench. He remained in Detroit following the game with what the Maple Leafs are calling an internal injury to his kidney. Joshua will return to Toronto on Thursday, but Berube says the forward, like Tanev, will miss "significant time." Matthews skated on Wednesday and had a "good day," Berube said. He missed Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot on Sunday against the Red Wings. They'll wait to see how Matthews feels on Thursday morning when the team takes to the ice for a skate before facing the Winnipeg Jets. "Hopefully he's in there tomorrow and we get him back," said Berube. The same goes for Nylander, who wasn't on the ice on Wednesday. The 29-year-old has missed the last two games with a lower-body ailment. "We'll see tomorrow if he's able to get on the ice," added Berube. Carlo, who had foot surgery on Dec. 3, is working his way back. He skated on Wednesday once again, and the Maple Leafs are hoping the defenseman is close to a return. "(Carlo) will skate again tomorrow with us and we'll know more if he's available Saturday or not." If Carlo returns to the lineup on Saturday against the New York Islanders, it would mark exactly one month since the defender underwent surgery on his foot. Anthony Stolarz (upper body) also got on the ice on Wednesday, the first time since he went down with an injury on Nov. 11 vs. the Bruins. There's still no timeline on his return, but it's a positive step in his recovery. Maple Leafs Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Finally Hits The Ice After Nearly Two Month Of Dealing With An Upper-Body Injury [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/1bb957a5-0e7b-493c-ba5b-7d4d964c826f.png] Maple Leafs Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Finally Hits The Ice After Nearly Two Month Of Dealing With An Upper-Body Injury Nearly two months after a vague injury sidelined him in November, Anthony Stolarz has finally resumed skating, though his path back to the crease remains a work in progress. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-goaltender-anthony-stolarz-finally-hits-the-ice-after-nearly-two-month-of-dealing-with-an-upper-body-injury] With the countless injuries, Berube hopes his team shows the same grit and determination from now on that they did on Tuesday in their 4-0 win against the Devils. "Well, you're not going to sit there and replace (Tanev), but we have a lot of heart and soul guys in here," Berube said. "We all just got to, like we talk about, like last night's game, guys just go out and do their job and checked, and everybody stepped it up a little. We're going to have to continue to do the same thing."
