Had it been the hockey norm to do so, the Maple Leafs would have stood and applauded when Chris Tanev returned to the bench early in the third period on Saturday night.
The veteran defenceman departed after blocking a shot by the New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad late in the second period, and when he did not come back for the start of the third, we’re sure minds were racing in Leafs Nation.
Through five games, the 34-year-old Tanev has been supplying the kind of integral hockey that general manager Brad Treliving coveted before acquiring Tanev’s rights from the Dallas Stars and then signing the Toronto native to a six-year contract on July 1.
“His composure on the back end, what he does, the little things all throughout the game, blocking shots, taking hits, making little plays in the D zone and then offensively, he is one of the guys who is up in the rush a lot,” Leafs captain Auston Matthews said after Toronto lost 4-1 to the Rangers at Scotiabank Arena. “Glad to see him back and hopefully it’s nothing serious and he’s good to go.”
Tanev had just four shifts in the third, but there was nothing from coach Craig Berube to indicate that Tanev would not be good to go against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday at SBA. The Leafs have a full day off on Sunday, so we won’t know for certain until the skate on Monday morning.
“Everything you see,” Berube said of Tanev’s impact. “He’s a great defender and shot blocker, penalty killer, just a solid player all around. Character guy, leadership, he brings a lot.”
Tanev leads the Leafs with 15 blocked shots, is averaging a team-high four minutes a game on a penalty kill that is clicking at 85% (17-for-20) and has been on the ice for just one goal against at five-on-five.
It’s accepted, perhaps, that the manner in which Tanev plays will result in some injuries and missed games, but the Leafs would keep their fingers crossed that it wouldn’t be for long.
Tanev is not the kind of player who can easily be replaced, certainly not by Timothy Liljegren or Philippe Myers.
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“He drives the bus back there and defends really hard every night, blocks shots and has a good stick and the small things you might not see every night but make a big difference,” Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “That’s not a secret, the way he plays. He puts his body on the line every night and he’s a warrior.”
Goalie Anthony Stolarz, naturally, has enjoyed the view from his crease when Tanev is on the ice. As others mentioned, there’s more to what Tanev brings than the rugged, battler-type mentality.
“He’s so efficient on his breakouts, he is a smart player,” Stolarz said.
“As a goalie, you can definitely appreciate that.
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“(And) a lot of guys get a lot of fanfare for putting up points, but he takes a lot of pride in blocking shots. It’s going to sting a little bit. I know I feel it with my goalie pads sometimes, so I can only imagine what that feels like (for a defenceman). Definitely a brave guy.”
In time, the player who should benefit most from Tanev’s presence is defence partner Morgan Rielly. It could develop that the latter can play a little more free with Tanev at his side.
“We’re trying to work together,” Rielly said. “I don’t think it’s about any one person changing to a specific style.
“It’s about us working together and we’re going to continue to work at it. He’s a great player, so we’ll keep talking and working. It has been good.”
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