The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Tuesday that they have activated defenceman Chris Tanev from the injured reserve, and he will play against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

Head coach Craig Berube confirmed the news when speaking to the media on Tuesday.

“Tanev is in,” Berube said.

The return of Tanev couldn’t come at a better (or worse) time for the Leafs. They have lost five of their last six games, they just fired their power play coach after their performance with the man advantage dropped to dead last in the NHL, and they currently sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. For much of the past two months, the Leafs have been without Tanev, who got hurt against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 1. Head coach Craig Berube confirmed pregame on Tuesday that Tanev will be back in the lineup for their game against the Penguins.

Berube was then asked what helped them come to that decision, to which he replied that he referred to their conversations with team doctors, but said that in the end it was Tanev’s call.

“Doctors, communicating with him, but ultimately it comes down to his decision.”

Tanev has been hurt twice this season. The first one came after an awkward collision with Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils, and the second came in his return to the lineup only ten days later. He collided with Flyers forward Matvei Michkov and the injury kept him out of the lineup for the next seven weeks.

Tanev’s injury was the first domino to fall in a season that’s seen many key players miss time with injuries. The veteran defensive stalwart has two assists in eight games on the season, but it’s his impact on the defensive side of the puck that has been sorely missed more than anything else.

The Leafs will look to get some sort of positive momentum swinging in their favour when they look to get two points against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday afternoon.

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