The Maple Leafs will scratch defenseman Chris Tanev tonight against the Wild due to "planned maintenance," and it's the second time in the last three games he's sat for that reason.
Toronto is also trying to stop a skid. The Leafs have lost four straight, including a 6-3 loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday night, and they sit 23rd in the NHL at 8-10-2.
Tanev, 36, has played 10 games this season with one assist. The team hasn't said what the maintenance involves, and nothing beyond the "planned maintenance" label is known. He's not listed on the injury report.
The pattern is hard to ignore. We reported Tanev's absence alongside Morgan Rielly's on Sunday against the Devils, when the blue line was already thin.
Rielly's injury was then described by Darren Dreger as day-to-day, with an absence of no longer than a week. Whether he's back tonight isn't clear from what we have.
Rest days for a veteran are normal in November. But a team on a four-game losing streak, with a goal differential of -3, is giving up one of its experienced defensemen for the second time in three games. That's a bold call from coach Jim Hiller.
Who plays on the Leafs blue line tonight?
Without the lineup in hand, that's the open question. Toronto has allowed 70 goals in 20 games, more than it has scored, and every defense pairing matters more when the margin is that thin.
Minnesota arrives in a very different spot. The Wild are 13-3-4, first in the Central Division, and beat Montreal 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday.
They're 8-3-2 on the road and 7-1-2 over their last 10. John Hynes' group doesn't need a depleted opponent to be dangerous.
Our view: Toronto can call it maintenance, but sitting a defenseman in this stretch invites questions. If the Leafs drop a fifth straight, the explanation will get a lot more attention than the label does.
We'll see who Hiller dresses on defense when the puck drops tonight.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Should the Maple Leafs be resting Chris Tanev while they're on a four-game losing streak?
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