Concerning Update for the Maple Leafs on John Tavares' Injury Status Ahead of Devils Matchup
While it wasn't bad enough that John Tavares left practice on Wednesday, his status for Thursday's game could be up in the air as uncertainty wavers.
It was a very terrible sight on Wednesday as Maple Leafs forward John Tavares left practice due to an injury received after getting tangled up with defenseman Simon Benoit during a powerplay drill, leading to him limping off the ice and concerning everyone.
He is still being evaluated, and Toronto can't afford to lose him for any period of time. Brad Treliving's pressure to add a top level center has just increased tenfold and the fact that there's so much doubt around Tavares mean speculation runs rampant.
There is one thing that we know though about Tavares, and that is that his injury is going to put his next few games in jeopardy.
John Tavares' Injury Status For New Jersey Game In Serious Doubt
It's not much turnaround time for the former Maple Leafs captain as the team has a very tough game against former head coach Sheldon Keefe on Thursday night.
Losing Tavares is a huge blow to a team who has been starved for offense recently. Though he's gone scoreless during Toronto's three-game losing streak, Tavares has no doubt been one of the team's best performers even at age 34.
This season he's registered 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points in 44 games, also recently making history as one of only five other players to score 200+ goals with two different teams, and is playing like he's a decade younger.
With him potentially being out for Thursday, look for Toronto to bring have either Max Domi or potentially David Kampf take up the second line duties meanwhile Pontus Holmberg may find himself back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the past few games.
In the final year of his contract, Tavares is more than likely going to re-sign with the Maple Leafs this season on a hopefully big hometown discount, but this injury throws a big wrench into his future plans especially as the season draws closer to its end.
Toronto has a big test ahead of them on Thursday against New Jersey, and if they are without Tavares it makes that a whole heck of a lot harder, and with the way things have gone; that spells big trouble for Craig Berube's team.
