John Tavares Injury Exposes Toronto's Thin Middle
The John Tavares injury news broke Saturday.
And it's the kind that can reshape the first quarter of a season: the Toronto Maple Leafs announced their center is week to week with a lower-body injury. And the team's designation allows for an absence of up to six weeks.
For a club sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division at 3-3-2, that's not a paper cut.
That's a hole in the middle of the lineup.
How Did the Tavares Injury Happen?
It happened Thursday night against Buffalo, in the third period of a game Toronto lost 5-4 in overtime. Per TSN, Tavares was hurt after an awkward collision with Sabres forward Josh Norris. And he left the game immediately. When a player that durable doesn't finish his shift, you already know it's bad.
The loss itself still stings too. The Sabres rallied from two goals down in the third period, Owen Power won it in overtime. And Kirill Marchenko's hat trick went to waste. Toronto coughed up a game it had in hand, then lost its second-line center on the same night. That's a brutal double.
Tavares Injury Reshuffles Toronto's Lines
Nick Paul got the first crack at the vacancy. He slotted in as the No. 2 centre at Saturday's morning skate, between Easton Cowan and Kirill Marchenko. The full forward group from theScore's practice report: Roslovic-Matthews-Nylander, Cowan-Paul-Marchenko, McKenna-Scissons-Groulx, and Duhaime-Blueger-MacEwen.
Read that as a depth chart.
Behind Auston Matthews, Toronto's center depth will be challenged, and that's the polite version. Paul is a legit NHL center. But driving a scoring line for six weeks is a different ask than sheltered minutes.
The timing couldn't be worse. Tavares joins Chris Tanev on the injury report just as the Leafs host the New York Islanders, his former team, Saturday at 7 p.m.
ET on Sportsnet.
Add in a 3-3-2 start, and the middle of the ice is now a construction site.
Production-wise, the veteran hadn't been scorching anyway, with three points, one goal and two assists, in his first five games per the NHL's status report. He had already missed one game this season for the best possible reason, the birth of his son Tucker, his fourth child. Now the absences are the bad kind.
Markstrom Returns to Florida's Crease
The other end of Saturday's lineup news is happier. Jacob Markstrom is expected to patrol the home crease against Seattle after a two-game absence, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. His designation was undisclosed, and he's back inside a week. That's the trade you take every time.
Compare the two timelines and you see why goalie injuries get less panic. Two games without your netminder is a blip. Six weeks without your second-line center is a structural problem. Florida gets its man back Saturday, while Toronto spends the next month patching a hole.
How Long Is John Tavares Out?
How long is John Tavares out? He's week to week with a lower-body injury, and the team says that designation could keep him out up to six weeks.
Who replaces Tavares at second-line center? Nick Paul, who skated between Easton Cowan and Kirill Marchenko at Saturday's morning skate, per TSN.
Is Chris Tanev injured too? Yes. Tavares joins the rugged blue-liner on the injury report ahead of the Islanders game.
What to Watch Saturday Night
Start with the 7 p.m. ET faceoff against the Islanders, Tavares's old team, with the Leafs trying to steady things at 3-3-2. Watch Cowan-Paul-Marchenko first. If that trio creates anything at five-on-five, Toronto survives this stretch. If it gets caved in, the Roslovic-Matthews-Nylander line has to carry the scoring every single night.
Then flip over to Florida, where Markstrom draws back in against Seattle after two games out.
And we learn how sharp he looks right away.
A home start is the gentle way back.
Saturday morning started with one sentence about John Tavares and a six-week question mark hanging over it. By Saturday night, we'll know if Nick Paul is an answer or a band-aid. Which one are you betting on?