Chris Tanev is looking forward to shaking off the rust after returning against the Penguins

Tanev, who just turned 36 on Saturday, missed almost all of November and three weeks in December before returning from an injury suffered in a Nov. 1 game against the Philadelphia Flyers. That game was his first after missing a few previously with a new injury in October against the New Jersey Devils, so it had been a long time since Tanev played the full 60 minutes.

Tanev’s first twenty minutes back on the ice were a bit rough, highlighted by the Penguins’ first goal of the game, getting caught flat-footed after an odd rush, and another giveaway in front of him that goalie Joseph Woll saved him from. He acknowledged this, but said he felt better as the match went on.

“I wasn’t great in the first one, obviously I gave someone a Christmas present,” Tanev joked. “Luckily Joep [Woll] took it away. Those two plays in the first weren’t ideal, but when you miss nine weeks, you think you know how the game is going to go and what’s going to happen, and it comes a lot sooner than you think, especially when you miss that much time. So I definitely think I got better as the match went on, but there’s definitely still a lot to improve on.”

Tanev’s presence in the room was also clearly missed by his teammates. Max Domi went out of his way to point to Tanev’s return as one of the main reasons the team won on Tuesday afternoon, despite not being asked about him.

‘Obviously you get a man like Tanny [Tanev] Back is a huge boost to our lineup, he means so much to us and we are very lucky to have him. He played unreal,” Domi told the media after the match. “But overall we just wanted to win before halftime.”

The Maple Leafs will look to put even more of these efforts together after a much-needed break for the team over Christmas. Their next game is Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER