Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev underwent core muscle surgery in New York on Wednesday morning, the team announced.

Tanev is expected to return for training camp in September. The 36-year-old will miss remainder of the season as a result of the surgery.

“I think it is still early to talk about whether he is joining us here, but he seems pretty good,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Tanev after practice on February 21. “Again, it will still be a day or two until we figure out if he is going to join us with the team. We’ll see. We’ll talk to him and see if he can get there by the weekend, but I am not sure yet.”

Tanev played in 11 games this season, recording two assists. He last played on December 28 against the Detroit Red Wings. During a November 2 game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Tanev was stretchered off the ice, after a collision with Matvei Michkov. He returned to the lineup on December 23, before sustaining a new injury.

Toronto signed Tanev to a six-year contract worth an average annual value of $4.5 million on July 1, 2024. Tanev was the Maple Leafs’ best defenceman in 2024-25, while operating as one of the NHL’s premier shot blockers and defensive presences.

Tanev’s absence has surely been felt by a Maple Leafs team that has operated as the NHL’s worst defensive team for large stretches of the year. He is universally respected in the Leafs’ locker room as one of the leaders of the group, and a focal point of the defensive structure.

It will be compelling to see how Tanev fits in with a revamped 2026-27 Maple Leafs team. Toronto is expected to be an active seller ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, which could result in a restructured blue line, where Tanev will remain a leader of the group.

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