On locker cleanout day, Chris Tanev discussed his injury-plagued season, his health outlook for next year, and the uncertainty surrounding the organization’s future at the management level.
How are you feeling physically?
Tanev: I’m doing well. I was just in New York on Monday to see the doctor about the surgery I had. Everything is going great, and everything is on track… I don’t foresee any more surgeries.
Do you anticipate you’ll be ready for September?
Tanev: I do.
Are you willing to clarify what injury you experienced with the surgery?
Tanev: Yeah. In the last shift in the Detroit game, I just took a step and felt a pop. Right when that happened, I knew it wasn’t good. We sort of confirmed that the next day. Every doctor I saw said the exact same thing: You need surgery.
I sort of chose to wait a little bit. I was hoping we were going to be in a playoff spot, and I could try to come back and play in April. That was the goal, and if that was the case, I would’ve had surgery after that.
Coming out of the break, we didn’t play as well as we wanted. It sort of gave me an opportunity to do it then, where I could have a bit of a runway to get ready for next season.
What was the season like for you personally, having to watch the team go through what it did?
Tanev: Awful. When you play 11 games, it’s not good. Definitely, it sucks doing that. Obviously, watching wasn’t great as well. We did not do what we needed to do on the ice.
What did you see from the team from up top? What was missing here?
Tanev: It’s easy when you watch the game up there. Everyone thinks they’re Wayne Gretzky. The game is so much slower from the press box than it is on the ice. It is tough for me to really critique when I only played 11 games. I obviously wish I were able to play more.
I think we needed to execute our systems better. We need to have some more pace. Depending on who you ask, there could be 20 different things. When things don’t go as well as planned or as well as they need to go, there are always issues that need to be addressed.
Whoever comes in at the top is going to have to sort of look at that, see what the important issues are, and try to fix them.
Do you think this team has what it takes to bounce back this year and return to the playoffs? If so, why?
Tanev: I do. I think we have a ton of good players in here. Obviously, we didn’t have a very good season at all. I am not going to give excuses on injuries, but we had some guys who didn’t play a lot of the year.
I think we can learn a lot from this year, the importance of a really good start to the season, not falling behind the eight ball, and learning and adapting to how to get better.
There are some amazing players in here. I do believe we can be a playoff team next year.
Brad Treliving brought you into Toronto. How difficult was it to see him go?
Tanev: Yeah, it sucks for Tre. I feel terrible for him. I only played 11 games. I obviously am pretty hard on myself. I’m disappointed in how I was only able to play 11 games and let a lot of people down. It sucks for Tre. I obviously would’ve liked that to work out better.
You missed most of the season. At your age, how confident are you that you can bounce back?
Tanev: Very confident. I feel like I work harder than anyone and will continue to do that to get to where I need to be.
After all the injuries and miles on your body, what still makes you excited about getting back to training camp next fall?
Tanev: Sitting out 71 games. I still love hockey. I love being around the guys. I want to win more than ever. It is pretty simple for me.
What was it like for you to see Auston Matthews go down and experience that kind of injury?
Tanev: It obviously sucks when that happens. I got to spend a lot of time with him, which has been good, but it obviously sucks for us both watching hockey. You never want to see that happen to anyone, but he is a true pro. He will get to where he needs to be. He works extremely hard. He’ll be fine.
You started your NHL career playing for Mike Gillis in Vancouver. What were your impressions of him?
Tanev: Mike signed me out of college. I don’t know if he was the first guy in the organization to see me, but he was the President and GM and made the decision to sign me.
Obviously, I have a ton of respect for Mike. He is very intense. He is definitely no-nonsense. I think he is knowledgeable. He was great to me in Vancouver, and I think he built some really good teams there.
Do you expect to see Craig Berube back coaching next season?
Tanev: Yeah, I have all the respect in the world for Chief. I have a great relationship with him. He knows the game. He has won at the highest level. Ultimately, that is not a decision for me. All I can say is that I do like Chief, and we have a good relationship.
