John Tavares’ early-season numbers are putting the Maple Leafs in a tough spot.
Toronto is off to a 1-2-0 start, and while Tavares has chipped in two assists, the broader picture is less encouraging. Through just three games, his shot velocity has dropped from 88.46 mph to 63.95, and his top skating speed has fallen from 22.66 mph to 20.23 mph.
That’s a tiny sample, and it’s not enough to deliver a final verdict on what Tavares still has left. But it’s enough to make the front office think twice. At 36, the signs of decline are starting to show, and they’re showing at a position that has long been part of the problem.
Tavares is playing center, even though he has always been more naturally suited to the wing. Toronto has kept him in the second-line center role, and that decision has fueled years of talk about the need for a true second-line center. Now that his skating and shooting numbers are trending down, that conversation is only getting louder.
The Leafs may already be looking at ways to reshuffle the middle six. One possibility is moving William Nylander to center.
Another is giving Easton Cowan that second-line center job. Either way, the current setup doesn’t seem to be working, and the second line looks like it needs a shake-up.
That would mean a demotion for Gavin McKenna and a shift for Tavares back to the wing. It’s the kind of change Toronto may have to consider if it wants to keep up now and stay competitive for the future.
There’s also the bigger question hanging over everything: whether John Chayka wants to make a major move, possibly for someone like Elias Pettersson. The Leafs need to win now if they want to keep Auston Matthews around, and that pressure makes the Tavares situation even more uncomfortable.
Tavares has done plenty for Toronto, but the numbers are starting to tell a different story. Whether he can stabilize those auxiliary stats is still unknown.
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