The Maple Leafs tried something different Sunday night, and it put John Tavares in a spot that could end up sticking.
Coach Jim Hiller shifted Tavares to the wing for a stretch while mixing up the top six. Gavin McKenna stayed on Auston Matthews’ line, with Easton Cowan on the off wing, while the second line saw Tavares slide over at times as Nick Paul or Colton Sissons handled center and William Nylander worked the other side.
It didn’t lead to a goal, but it did open the door to a bigger question about Tavares, who turned 36 this past September: is he still the right fit down the middle?
That matters in Toronto more than it does in most places. Center has long been one of the Leafs’ biggest strengths, with Matthews and Tavares giving the team a true one-two punch.
Around the league, clubs like the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets have had trouble finding a second-line center. Toronto, for years, has had both.
This season, though, Tavares’ value has looked uneven.
The offense is still there. He has seven points in nine games.
But the defensive side has been a problem, and Sunday was another rough night there. He was minus-three in his second game back from injury and now sits at minus-eight, second-worst among Toronto forwards behind only McKenna.
The bigger concern is the longer view. Tavares is coming off the worst defensive season of his career, finishing at minus-28. Add that to his minus-eight start this year, and his minus-36 mark is sixth-worst in the NHL and second-worst among all forwards over that stretch.
Hiller could simply be easing the veteran into a lighter workload by moving him to the wing. But if the defensive issues keep showing up, Toronto may need to look harder at a different setup, one that puts Paul, Sissons or another center into the second-line role while Tavares is used somewhere else.
The line combinations haven’t offered much comfort so far. Only one Tavares line this season has finished at even or better, and that was with Paul and Nylander, a group that has not produced any goals for or against. His line with Nylander and McKenna has been outscored 4-0, while the Cowan-Nylander version has been outscored 2-1.
The scoring touch still looks intact. The bigger question now is whether Tavares should keep playing center at all, and whether Sunday was the first step toward a permanent change.
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