John Tavares Reveals How He Is Coping With The Most Difficult Stretch Of His Career

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Graham Montgomery
February 27, 2024 (9:13 PM)

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Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares has been in headlines lately for how he has played. There are growing concerns about his age as he continues his slump.

Tavares Demoted To Third Line Role With Maple Leafs

The Leafs captain is in his age 33 season, a point where many players start to show signs of age-related decline at a high rate. Tavares seemed to be aging well over the past few seasons, including the first half this year. However, recently his play has plummeted, leading to Sheldon Keefe giving him a new role for the team.

Much has been said about Tavares since the demotion. His play has continued to falter, leading many fans to call out the team for their spin on his new assignment.

Leafs Captain Accepts Smaller Role With Team Based On Poor Play

The Toronto Maple Leafs have seemed to spin the narrative around their captain in a positive way. Instead of calling it a demotion, sources are saying that he is 'taking one for the team' in an effort to give the Leafs a more balanced offense.

«You'd be surprised. Just writing the lines on the board, and all of sudden: Who's on the third?»

On John Tavares � currently the Maple Leafs' third-line centre and second-unit power-play threat � taking one for the team:

«I don't know if I would say I asked him, first of all,» coach Sheldon Keefe clarified. «It was more just talking him through it and explaining why I thought the timing was right for it, both in terms of how it affects the team and how it impacts the others who have been playing well and had built some positive momentum over the last little bit. The times when John missed two of the three games gave us some different looks. We wanted to continue to build on it.»

However, many fans are not buying it. They can see that Tavares is struggling and know that his demotion is due to his declining level of play on the ice. Notably, the Leafs captain has just one goal and three points over his last seven games.

John Tavares is a 3rd line player and that's it, forget his sacrifices. His play has earned him that bottom 6 role.

Other fans have been even more harsh, citing crucial mistakes in the last couple of games.

As seen on Why Maple Leafs' John Tavares is accepting a reduced offensive role