Chris Tanev, during the Toronto Maple Leafs exit interviews last Thursday, explained why he had decided to wait to have a season-ending injury and why he was never able to suit back up for the remainder of the season.
Tanev only suited up in 11 games with the Maple Leafs this season, with his last coming on December 28th against the Detroit Red Wings. He left that contest with what was announced as a groin injury. "It was the last shift in the Detroit game, and I took a step and felt a pop. When that happened, I knew it wasn't good, and I think it sort of confirmed that the next day." Tanev said on Thursday. "Every doctor I saw said the exact same thing, that you need surgery."
Tanev hoped to return for the playoffs
Tanev, over the past few months, was resting and recovering from his apparent groin injury, while he was hoping he would be ready to go in hopes the Maple Leafs qualified for the postseason. The Maple Leafs later saw Tanev skating during the Olympic break; however, how the Maple Leafs performed coming out of the break solidified where he was going to go next in the recovery process.
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, 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."
Tanev later underwent surgery in New York
Tanev later underwent surgery on March 4th in New York City. This was not the only injury the veteran defender had to deal with over the course of the season. Early in the year, the 36-year-old suffered a concussion on October 21st against the New Jersey Devils. In his first game back against the Philadelphia Flyers, he suffered another lower-body injury after an awkward collision with Matvei Michkov, which left Tanev exiting on a stretcher. He then sat out the entirety of November and the majority of December before ending his season, only playing in 11 games.
"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."
Chris Tanev believes he will be a strong contributor to the Maple Leafs lineup next season, as he has four years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million per season. When we saw Tanev in the lineup this season, but more importantly last season, he remained as a physical, reliable force on the blueline, something the Maple Leafs lacked throughout the season.
"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, and I want to win more than ever, so it's pretty simple for me."
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