John Tavares has seen his production fall off a bit this year and has suffered some injuries that have hampered his ability to perform. His age is also a factor, as it is clear the Leafs Captain is slowing down.
Now, the Leafs have made a move that shows Tavares his hit a new low in Toronto. As the Leafs set to take on the Arizona Coyotes tonight, it appears Tavares has been demoted to centering the third line between McMann and Robertson.
It is clear that Tavares isn't as young and spry as he once was, so playing on the third line is likely the solution to his slowing down. While he is likely still the option on the powerplay given his skills in front of the net, the drop in minutes will also preserve Tavares' ability in the faceoff circle.
We will see how long these lines last, and if Tavares will bounce back from his lul in production.
As seen on Maple Leafs Daily - "Leafs make shocking decision regarding captain John Tavares"
POLL | ||
FÉVRIER 21 | 163 ANSWERS MAJOR: John Tavares Officially Hits Rock Bottom in Toronto Do you think Tavares should be on the third line? | ||
Yes | 107 | 65.6 % |
No | 56 | 34.4 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
Conference | Cumulative |