Craig Berube was recently asked about the status of Chris Tanev's injury, and his response left many fans extremely concerned about the severity of it. The Toronto Maple Leafs got some tough news Monday when Chris <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/the-maple-leafs-announce-an-unfortunate-injury-to-one-of-their-top-defensemen' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Tanev was a scratch just minutes prior to puck drop</a> in their contest with the Winnipeg Jets. The Leafs struggled mightily without their steady shutdown blueliner as they fell 5-2. Head coach Craig Berube didn't have much to say about Chris Tanev's condition, or much of anything, post-game, which left fans very worried for the team's star defenseman. Craig Berube doesn't elaborate beyond «lower body» on Chris Tanev. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1871316219833573713'> </a></blockquote></div> Already pining for a Stanley Cup, Leafs fans likely have a healthy roster high on their holiday wishlist. Captain Auston <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/craig-berube-announces-auston-matthews-status-for-today-game-and-discusses-if-he-can-play-friday' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Matthews has remained sidelined</a> while Tanev has been out, and goalie Anthony Stolarz hasn't been available as the team's been hit hard by injury. The Toronto defense was a bit scrambled without <a href='https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/player/chris-tanev-8475690' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Tanev</a>, leaning on him to anchor the blueline with his hockey IQ and puck sense. Most noticeably, his shot-blocking ability was missed as the Leafs managed a mere six blocked shots against Winnipeg's 22. He usually gets almost half of the Leafs' total blocks on any given game, and when he's out, it does create a very noticeable gap. His pairing with Jake McCabe has been the high point this season, representing hope for a strong shutdown pairing moving forward. Without Tanev, Jake McCabe was left to carry much of the load, and weaknesses throughout the rest of the lineup were exposed. But his offensive contributions warrant considerable value too, a goal, nine assists, and close to 100 blocked shots this season. He is fearless, going about his work with a sort of controlled recklessness quite simply impossible to replicate. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/HockeyDaily365/status/1853963458896712047'> </a></blockquote></div> The hope will, of course, be that Tanev's injury isn't serious, that his absences are merely temporary in nature. In the meantime, though, a nervy, anxious few days awaits from Leaf Nation while welcoming their workhorse defenceman back to where he belongs, knowing very much his true worth.