TORONTO — Chris Tanev's willingness to put his body on the line was well-known long before he joined the Maple Leafs.
His new teammates got their first up-close look at the toll it takes — and the veteran defenceman's toughness.
Tanev took a Mika Zibanejad one-time blast off what appeared to be an unpadded part of his right leg while killing a penalty in the second period of Saturday's 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers.
The 34-year-old needed help off the ice and again down the tunnel to the Leafs' locker room. Tanev didn't initially come out to start the third, but was soon back on the bench.
"He's blocked a lot of shots over his career," said defence partner Morgan Rielly. "When he goes down like that, you know it's serious."
"A very difficult thing to watch," added Leafs winger Matthew Knies. "But he's a warrior."
Tanev, who was not made available to reporters post-game, played just four shifts in the final period with Toronto (3-2-0) down a goal, but head coach Craig Berube said the hard-nosed blueliner was available to take on more minutes had the group been tied or ahead.
"He's a tough guy," Berube said. "Great defender and shot blocker, penalty killer, just a solid player all-around. Character, leadership — he brings a lot."
The Toronto product's rights were acquired by the Leafs ahead of unrestricted free agency in the summer before he signed a six-year, US$27-million contract as general manager Brad Treliving looked to remake the team's problematic back end.
"He's been unbelievable," Leafs captain Auston Matthews said. "Hopefully it's nothing serious and he's good to go."
Fellow defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson — another off-season addition — said it was no surprise to see Tanev back in the action.
"We all know what type of player and what type of guy he is," Ekman-Larsson said. "He drives the bus back there and defends really, really hard every single night."
Since becoming a full-time NHLer in 2013-14, Tanev has got in the way of a lot of rubber — 1,531 combined shot blocks, to be exact, which puts the former undrafted free agent eighth overall during that span.
"As a goalie, you can definitely appreciate that," Toronto netminder Anthony Stolarz said. "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 definitely 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.
"But definitely a brave guy to be able to go out there and do that night in, night out."
SPECIAL TEAMS
Toronto's power play had some life in Wednesday's 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings with two goals on four opportunities after starting the season 0-for-9, but was unable to find the range on three chances against New York.
A disconnected man advantage with under 10 minutes to go Saturday trailing New York (4-0-1) by a goal was an especially sore point for a unit still finding its way under assistant coach Marc Savard.
"We didn't execute very well on that one," Berube said. "When the game's on the line right there, you have an opportunity to tie it up, we've got to have more urgency."
On the other side of the puck, Toronto killed off two New York power plays to improve to 17-for-20 while short-handed in 2024-25.
SCARY MOMENT
Stolarz called for a trainer in the third when he thought the back of his left leg might have been cut by a skate blade.
"I looked down and saw a skate inside my pad," he explained. "I wear those cut-proof socks. I had an incident back in juniors, so maybe a little PTSD there. I didn't know if I felt anything or if it was the adrenalin.
"Wanted to make sure."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2024.
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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press