Maple Leafs lose one of their top defensemen on Monday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost one of their top defensemen just before the Christmas break.

Earlier today Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube informed members of the media that there would be some game time decisions for the Leafs ahead of Monday's game against the Winnipeg Jets and we may now have a clearer picture of exactly what he meant by that.

According to an official announcement from the Leafs department of public relations, veteran defenseman Chris Tanev has been knocked out of the lineup due to injury. The Leafs are reporting that Tanev is suffering from a lower body injury and as a result will be unable to play.

Tanev has been one half of the Maple Leafs top shut down defensive pairing this season alongside fellow veteran defenseman Jake McCabe and together the two have proved to be a formidable defensive pairing. Tanev and McCabe have tackled the toughest matchups on a game to game basis and have come out on top more often than not, finally giving the Leafs a true shut down duo to send out against some of the more offensively talented teams in the National Hockey League.

Tanev has of course dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career and his gritty style of defensive play lends itself to injuries, but in spite of that he had managed to remain healthy and play in every Leafs game this season up until this point. That Tanev now finds himself injured will be a point of concern moving forward, especially considering the fact that Tanev is 35 years of age.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.