The Toronto Maple Leafs’ marquee signing, Chris Tanev, has been praised by his teammates for his toughness and willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
After Monday’s morning skate, Mitch Marner and John Tavares were asked separately about what Tanev has meant to their team in the early going and both expressed their enthusiasm for his commitment to the team by laying his body on the line.
“He’s pretty steady back there,” Marner said. “He’s great with his stick, makes really good, easy plays that are easy for the forwards to read and try to react off of. He’s been great. He just brings that steadiness back there and he eats a lot of big shots and makes a lot of great plays with his stick.”
This was evidenced by Tanev blocking a shot from Mika Zibanejad during a PK on Saturday night against the New York Rangers late in the second period. It made him go to the locker room for repairs but he came back early in third to finish the game and he is in line to get into the fold on Monday.
Chris Tanev heads to the dressing room after blocking this shot. pic.twitter.com/ckkSWmSr0d
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 20, 2024
That night his teammates were buzzing about his resolute in the face of adversity and although the Leafs were unable to pull off the victory, having a sturdy presence like Tanev on the backend gives them confidence to keep pushing until the final horn.
“That’s a big part of who he is and what he brings to the table and why he’s so good defensively, on the PK,” Tavares said. “The commitment he makes physically to sacrifice himself to do what’s necessary to keep the puck out of your net. He’s a warrior, he battles, he’s played through many injuries throughout his career.”
Tanev’s teammates are certainly appreciative of his determination to put his body on the line for the good of his team because he is among the best blockers in the league. Among active players, Tanev currently sits 11th with 1667 career blocks and has only had two campaigns since 2013-14 where finished with under 100 blocks in a season.
Of course, absorbing that much rubber takes a toll on the body and the Leafs will certainly want to be mindful of his durability so that he doesn’t miss much time. Tanev did admit that the aforementioned block on Saturday did sting him pretty good but he feels fine now.
“It didn’t feel great. Sometimes they get you right in the right spot where you get, like, a dead leg and can’t move. That’s sort of what that did there.” he said. “I think it’s, ‘You’re able to play, you’re able to play. You’re not, you’re not.’ If you’re out there, you’re expected to do your job and play well. That’s sort of a hockey mindset and things that hockey players do.”
While he avoided any major ailments in the play, it seems that not getting the two points hurt Tanev more than blocking Zibanejad’s shot. It is the type of player he is and why he was so highly coveted by Brad Treliving throughout all of last season up until he was acquired at the draft.
All of which is to say the Leafs know they have a trooper on their back end to be that rock in the crease and do whatever it takes to get the victory.
“Yeah, he came back. Tough guy. He could’ve probably played more in the third, but we were down a goal,” Craig Berube said of Tanev after Saturday’s game.“He’s a great defender, he’s a great shot blocker, penalty killer. Solid player all around, character guy, leadership. He brings a lot.”
