The 24-year-old blue liner had digits broken on his right hand for the second time this season on Monday in Tampa, taking a Steven Stamkos shot flush on the hand - and with the time table for his return set at three-to-four weeks, he may as well clean out his locker for the summer.
Tanev missed nearly all of the NHL's abbreviated February schedule due to a broken thumb and returned for a brief 10-game stand before the latest injury, but has still managed six goals and 11 helpers in 64 games this season as part of Vancouver's top defensive pairing and a solid presence on their penalty kill.
Regardless of the hard-luck injuries, the restricted free agent has most likely earned a pay raise on his current $1.5 million one-year deal as coach John Tortorella has demonstrated confidence in Tanev by lining him up against the league's top offensive threats, earning a plus-12 rating.
Were the Canucks to make the post-season, a highly doubtful occurrence given that they stand five games behind Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 10 games to play and the Coyotes with two games in hand, it is possible that Tanev would be able to return...
...but a disastrous stretch that saw the Canucks' go 1-10-1 between late January and early march mandated that they fall out of contention - and even though they have stabilized and are playing better of late, they would have to win almost every game and have Phoenix fall of the planet to get into the playoffs.
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