The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the news on this Thursday. Rugged defender Chris Tanev is being placed on injured reserve following an upper-body injury. Let’s figure out what it means for the current state of the Leafs blueline. The injury occurred in Tuesday’s 5-2 downing at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. The injury was caused by Dawson Mercer accidentally hitting him in the head.
With Chris Tanev (upper body) being placed on injured reserve, the #leafs have recalled Dakota Mermis from the AHL.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 23, 2025
At this time, little is known, however, he has a expected return listed as October 29th. So that’s what we will go with.
Toronto Maple Leaf Defenceman Chris Tanev has Upper-Body Injury
Chris Tanev is a key part of the Leafs blueline as a defensive defenceman. He has been banged up thus far in 2025-26, and having him healthy for the stretch drive is very important to the Leafs chances.
So far on the year, Tanev has one assist through seven games, in 17:42 of average ice time a game. Given his propensity for 5v5 defensive starts, his Corsi-For percent relative is -2.9. For him, it is mostly about getting it out of the zone and maintaining possession. You know, being consistent.
With this news Dakota Mermis is called up from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Mermis has had a journeyman’s like career. He’s played everywhere from Green Bay, Wisconsin to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and lots in between.
The Leafs Have Options On the Blueline
The defenceman have been remarkably healthy for Toronto up until now. They’ve only played the same six in all seven of the club’s games leading up to the injury news. Therefore, Mermis will slot into the lineup in all likelihood. However, Philippe Myers is also up with the club. The idea is that the two successful, intact pairs will likely stay together. That means that even though they haven’t played together a lot to this point, they have played extremely well together. Jake McCabe and Brandon Carlo will slot in as the top pairing. Simon Benoit does well with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but so does Morgan Rielly. Those five round out the defence. It is a battle between Myers and Mermis for the sixth slot in Tanev’s absence. It kind of boils down to pairings’ chemistry or the physicality factor, you know.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
