Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev sounds pretty pissed about load management plan

Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev sounds pretty pissed about load management plan appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here . It has not been the best start to the season for the Toronto Maple Leafs , as they sit in seventh place in the Atlantic Division. Their prize pick-up in free agency, Sergei Bobrovsky, has struggled , as the Leafs have dropped five of their last six games. Two of those losses came at home over the weekend. They were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, 4-2, and then by the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, 4-0. In the game on Sunday, veteran defenseman Chris Tanev was a scratch, a decision Leafs coach Jim Hiller said was part of a plan for load management , according to Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun. “We’re trying to manage him a little bit,” Hiller said before the game on Sunday. “(He) wants to play every single game, every night. He loves to go, and he was on the ice this morning. I think that’ll probably be part of the plan.” Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial) Now, Tanev is responding to the idea of load management , according to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic. “Chris Tanev says he doesn’t agree with the Leafs’ load management plan for him: ‘I want to play.’” Siegel posted on X, formerly Twitter. The idea of Tanev needing load management may be a smart one. While he wants to be on the ice, he has had trouble staying on the ice in recent years. He has already missed time this year due to an upper body injury, playing in just nine of the team’s 19 games so far. Last year, due to a groin injury and core muscle surgery, he played in just 11 games. Tanev has not played a full season since the 2021-22 campaign with the Calgary Flames, when he played all 82 games. He played 75 games in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, but still missed some time with injuries. This year, the production for Tanev has also not been at its peak. He has just one assist in nine games so far for the team. The Maple Leafs return to the ice on Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche, with Tanev expected to be playing.