Terrible injury news hit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. An unfortunate rumor is making the rounds, suggesting that defenseman Chris Tanev could be done for the season.
According to insider David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, Tanev may be done for the remainder of the season.
Some tough #LeafsForever news: Chris Tanev's regular-season may be over. Per sources, Tanev is meeting with a surgeon in the coming week to determine next steps. If they move forward with surgery, he is expected to be out until late-April/early-May.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 4, 2026
The surgery comes on the heels of reports suggesting that Tanev sustained a groin injury this past week. If that’s the case, the injury could be severe enough to require surgical intervention to repair.
Tanev missed time earlier this season due to a concussion sustained in November. He returned for a couple of games only to go back on IR. This time, the groin injury seems serious enough to warrant an extended look.
Under such circumstances, the Maple Leafs must determine what’s next. Assuming the worst, the Maple Leafs could place Tanev on season-ending LTIR (SELTIR). That situation would give the Leafs some cap relief. Per the current CBA rules, the Leafs would get about $3.8 million in cap space.
While that may not be enough to find a defenseman of equal value, it would, nonetheless, give the Maple Leafs a chance to replace Tanev moving forward.
The point about SELTIR is crucial, as the Leafs just don’t have the cap space to do anything. With the cap relief, Toronto GM Brad Treliving could figure out something. Perhaps that might mean accelerating a move for a blueliner like Rasmus Andersson. It could also mean acquiring one or two depth defensemen to try to make up the slack.
Tanev’s Maple Leafs career could be done
The concussion injury against the Philadelphia Flyers was significant enough to warrant Tanev getting carted off the ice on a stretcher. However, his incredible resilience allowed him to return to the ice this season.
This injury, however, could be an adductor issue similar to the one that sidelined Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk got offseason surgery and has yet to return to the ice this season.
Another veteran player to undergo a similar situation is current Vancouver Canucks forward Evander Kane. Kane missed all of last season with groin surgery. He missed the entire regular season and returned for the playoffs.
That move is something the Maple Leafs could not pull off this year. With the playoff cap in place, the Leafs would have to be cap-compliant in the postseason. So, if the plan was for Tanev to return at some point in the postseason, the club might be unable to add anyone.
Unless the Leafs were certain Tanev could return for the postseason, the best move would be placing him on SELTIR. The 36-year-old blueliner has four more years left on his current deal. If he is unfit to play again, the Maple Leafs might need to go through the annual ritual of placing him on SELTIR until his contract expires in 2030.
This unfortunate situation was a clear risk the Maple Leafs ran when the team signed Tanev to a six-year contract during the 2024 offseason.