Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev exited Saturday's contest with an upper-body injury and won't return, the team announced.
Tanev went to the dressing room after five shifts. It's unclear how the injury occurred.
The 36-year-old was limited to only 11 games last season due to a core muscle issue. He's in the third campaign of a six-year contract that carries a $4.5-million cap hit.
When healthy, Tanev plays a crucial top-pair and penalty-killing role for the Maple Leafs. He's registered one assist and averaged nearly 20 minutes so far this year.
Toronto dressed seven defensemen for Saturday's contest with veteran forward John Tavares unavailable due to the birth of his child.
