Maple Leafs face serious challenge with Tanev out

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost defenseman Chris Tanev early in the second period of Tuesday night’s contest against the New Jersey Devils.

The loss wasn’t bad enough. The Leafs had to lose a key blueliner on top of everything. In fact, we could argue that the game got away from the Leafs as soon as Tanev departed.

The game was 1-1 when Tanev collided with the Devils’ Dawson Mercer in front of the Toronto net. The play didn’t seem sufficiently violent to warrant a major injury. But it seems that Tanev took the brunt of Mercer’s shoulder to the head.

According to renowned sports physician Dr. Harjas Grewal, the likeliest outcome for Tanev is a concussion. But it could get much worse than that:

If the worst-case scenario plays out, the Maple Leafs could be without Tanev for an extended period. And, judging by the way Jake McCabe looked without Tanev, that’s a potentially disastrous situation.

The Leafs would face a considerable challenge without Tanev, placing considerable pressure on the depth blueliners to step up. Perhaps this predicament could provide an opportunity for Phillippe Myers or even Henry Thrun to show what they can do.

It could also open up a more meaningful role for Simon Benoit. Yes, I know that some fans may cringe at the thought of Simon Benoit moving up the depth chart. But then again, that’s the depth that Brad Treliving put together this offseason.

If Treliving’s plan was to hope that no one would get hurt, well, let’s just say that didn’t work out as intended.

Maple Leafs will need to shuffle defense pairings in Tanev’s absence

Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube will need to shuffle the defense pairings in light of Tanev’s absence. The Morgan Rielly-Brandon Carlo pairing looks set. So, it’ll be a question of determining who would play with Jake McCabe on the “shutdown” pairing.

In my estimation, Benoit is the best choice. He’s tough and physical. He’s kind of like a meaner version of Justin Holl. Since the McCabe-Tanev pairing didn’t count for any offense, putting Benoit and McCabe together should be just fine.

If that’s the case, then the next option could be bringing in Phillippe Myers to play with Oliver Ekman-Larsson. That pairing could work just fine. Myers can move the puck and actually has more of an offensive upside than Benoit.

Also, if heaven forbid Tanev goes on LTIR, the Leafs could bring up someone like Henry Thrun or Dakota Mermis. Mermis looked serviceable during the preseason and could fill in just fine on the bottom pairing.

Ultimately, the Leafs face their first real injury-based challenge this season. The club will have to rally to get past it and make the best of the situation.