John Tavares’ exit in Toronto’s overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday handed the Maple Leafs a fresh problem, and it’s not just about replacing one top-six center. With Max Domi already out, the issue gets bigger fast: Toronto is suddenly short on a true playmaking pivot to steady the offense.
Tavares left the game after colliding with Josh Norris in the defensive zone. The injury was described as a lower-body issue, and it appeared Tavares’ knee buckled, though the source material also leaves open the possibility of a hip or groin problem. There was no real update on the former captain afterward, so for now the situation remains unclear.
If Tavares misses time, Toronto should be able to patch together a lineup similar to the one it used while he was away for the birth of his child, which the team handled successfully. The bigger concern is what happens once the Leafs have to generate offense. Without Tavares and with Domi unavailable for the foreseeable future, the center depth looks thin in a very specific way.
Auston Matthews can carry a lot, but not everything. Behind him, the picture gets less comfortable.
Nick Paul would be asked to help drive the offense as a 2C, with Colton Sissons and Teddy Blueger also in the mix down the middle. That leaves Toronto leaning heavily on its wingers to create and finish chances.
There is at least some hope that chemistry can do the lifting. The source points to Paul and Kirill Marchenko, with Marchenko having slipped to the second line, and Easton Cowan, with whom Paul works well, as a combination that could help spark the attack. But that still leaves the Leafs with a group of centers built more on defense than creation.
That’s the real concern here: nobody in that group brings Tavares’ level of playmaking or leadership. It also explains why missing out on a player like Dylan Larkin stings, especially with Tavares aging and dealing with these kinds of issues, since that kind of addition would have offered some insurance.
And Toronto doesn’t just lose offense if Tavares is out. The team also loses elite face-off work and a player trusted to win important battles. He has already put up seven points, giving Toronto one of its better offensive starts on the roster.
The source also notes that Tavares is a strong fit alongside Gavin McKenna, and it raises the question of whether his absence influenced Jim Hiller’s decision to bench the rookie on Thursday night.
Beyond the production, Tavares brings leadership, mentorship and accountability that are hard to replace. If he ends up missing more than a few days, the Maple Leafs could be staring at a much tougher climb for the rest of the season.
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Toronto does not sound ready to make a dramatic move, but the discussion around Rielly is clearly shifting from concern to decision-making. The Leafs would like a version of him that looks closer to the player they expected, yet the path to getting there may involve uncomfortable lineup adjustments or, eventually, a bigger reset. For a team that has leaned on him for so long, even the possibility of a reduced role says plenty about where things stand. [Read more 🡒]