According to a team announcement, the Toronto Maple Leafs have activated forward Connor Dewar from the injured reserve and have placed defenseman Chris Tanev on it. Tanev’s placement is retroactive to February 25th, meaning Toronto needs to wait a few more days before activating him.
Dewar, the second-year Maple Leaf, has spent much of the year on the team’s injured reserve. He missed the first month of the season due to offseason surgery for a torn labrum and the last month due to an upper-body issue. The career bottom-six center has tallied three assists in 29 games for Toronto this year, averaging 10:07 of ice time per game.
Considering he had more points in fewer games for the Maple Leafs after they acquired him from the Minnesota Wild at last year’s deadline, they were likely hoping for more from Dewar when they gave him a $380K raise this past summer. Still, the injuries have understandably precluded Dewar from getting his season on track, and a healthy finish to the year should prove beneficial.
Meanwhile, Tanev has already missed last Friday’s game against the New York Rangers and today’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins due to an upper-body injury. Toronto feared the worst when Tanev was seen wearing a sling after exiting last Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Bruins. However, David Alter of The Hockey News shared that the Maple Leafs had avoided the worst with Tanev’s injury, and his recovery timeline was considered day-to-day.
Given the rules regarding activating a player from the injured reserve, Tanev must miss tomorrow’s game against the San Jose Sharks. Should he be healthy enough to return, the gritty top-four defenseman can return on Wednesday when Toronto matches up against the Vegas Golden Knights.