What If Tanev Can’t Return & Ekman-Larsson Retires?
What happens to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue line if Chris Tanev’s injury lingers and Oliver Ekman-Larsson decides that this season is his last? It’s a question the organization hasn’t had to confront yet, but it’s hovering over the second half of the year like a quiet warning. For a team that talks so often about structure and dependability, losing both of its steadiest defenders would leave a gap that can’t simply be filled with optimism or internal hope.
Chris Tanev’s Absence Has Hurt the Maple Leafs’ Play.
Tanev’s absence has already shown how much he carries. He isn’t the type who fills a highlight reel; he’s the defender who makes a shift look uneventful in the best possible way. With him, the Maple Leafs play a more controlled game. Without him, you see the seams. At 35, injuries naturally raise questions players don’t like to say aloud: how long does the body allow you to keep doing this?
Ekman-Larsson Is Having a Great Season, But He’s Aging
Ekman-Larsson brings a similar kind of stability, though in a different style. He arrived quietly and has been just as quietly practical. He gives the team steady touches, clean retrievals, and intelligent play. He is also at the age where retirement isn’t a dramatic storyline. It’s simply a realistic next chapter. If he chooses that route, the Maple Leafs lose another veteran who understands how to manage a shift, not merely survive it.
When Tanev and Ekman-Larsson Leave, Then What?
Once you remove Tanev and Ekman-Larsson from the picture, Toronto’s depth becomes more theory than certainty. Morgan Rielly is an offensive defenseman, and he’s just fine doing what he’s doing. Brandon Carlo is injured and might not play again this season. Simon Benoit competes every night. Jake McCabe brings edge and effort.
But none of them replace the predictability that the two veterans provide. Behind them sits a group of names—some hopeful, some untested—but no clear successor who can step in and anchor the blue line.
This leads to the looming question: What do the Maple Leafs do next? If Tanev’s injury stretches out and Ekman-Larsson steps away in the summer, the Maple Leafs suddenly face a defense group built around second-pair players being asked to play first-pair roles. That’s not a talent problem as much as it is a planning one.
The Maple Leafs Might Face Some Choices Soon.
For now, neither Tanev’s long-term status nor Ekman-Larsson’s future has been confirmed, but both situations are uncertain enough that the Maple Leafs have to consider what happens if they lose both veterans at once.
The front office will need to decide whether to pursue internal development, external help, or a combination of both. Benoit can give them honest, heavy minutes, but he doesn’t dictate how a defense plays. Rielly is who he is. McCabe can handle responsibility, but they need a veteran partner who can shoulder the more challenging moments.
The direction from here matters. If both veterans fade out of the picture at the same time, the Maple Leafs aren’t just losing two players—they’re losing the people who set the tone for how they defend. Whatever solution they choose, it has to be deliberate. This is where the next version of the Maple Leafs’ blue line begins, whether they’re ready for it or not.