Chris Tanev will not be returning for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils, leaving the game with an upper-body injury. Tanev was ruled out during the third period.

The incident came two minutes into the second period, as New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer was battling net-front with Jake McCabe, while Tanev came in to help on the play. Amidst the scrum, Mercer’s head slammed into the side of Tanev’s, and the defenceman immediately went down in visible pain. He was able to get up and skated off the ice alongside a trainer.

The full play can be seen here:

New Jersey earned the man advantage after a failed challenge from Craig Berube on the Devils’ first goal. Things went from bad to worse after Tanev left the ice, as New Jersey converted on the power play to take the 2-1 lead, gaining momentum and adding another minutes later.

Considering the uncharacteristic manner in which the typically tough Tanev quickly went down to the ice, the scene was concerning to see. The 35-year-old has logged nearly 20 minutes a night this season so far for his hometown team, playing on both the second defensive pairing and their top penalty-killing unit.

Tanev is a key part of the team’s big, physical blue line, and would be a big loss if he’s out long-term. Depending on the extent of Tanev’s ailment, we may see a call-up from the Toronto Marlies to take his place, but there’s also Philippe Myers, Toronto’s seventh defenceman who has yet to appear with the team this season.

Through Toronto’s injury-riddled season last year, Tanev stayed healthy through most of the year. Playing in his first season with the Maple Leafs, he had three goals and 15 assists in 75 appearances, averaging 19:45 TOI a night. Tanev played in all 13 of the team’s playoff games, contributing a goal and two assists.