Top 10 trending stories across The Hockey News' team/theme sites
Is John Tavares still a top-six forward?
With the recent promotion of Max Domi to the second line — and subsequent demotion of Tavares to the third line — it looks like that is not the case. Which puts the Toronto Maple Leafs in a difficult situation.
After all, how many third-liners are earning $11-million?
Then again, how long did anyone expect a 33-year-old to be a top-line performer?
This was always an inevitability. Tavares is the second-oldest forward on the Leafs. Only Ryan Reaves is older. And Reaves isn't exactly a full-time roster player anymore. Even when he was younger, Tavares was never the fastest skater. And Father Time has only slowed him down even more.
This year, the Leafs captain has 17 goals and 43 points in 54 games — a pace that would have him finishing with some of his worst totals since joining the Leafs.
Of course, the more glaring stat is his minus-2 rating.
Tavares has become a bit of a defensive liability. He no longer can match up against the other teams' top lines, which is why Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe decided to move Domi up to the second line alongside William Nylander and Tyler Bertuzzi in a lopsided 7-3 win against Vegas on Thursday.
It was a move that rewarded Domi with a pair of goals. But it was the defensive upgrade that Keefe praised the most.
"His checking defensively coming back and tracking and getting back above the puck and using his speed and tenacity to close and kill plays defensively has been tremendous and that’s what’s going to allow him to continue to play a role in a situation like that," Keefe told The Hockey News' David Alter. "When he’s skating and competing at that level he can play against anybody in the league. And we’ve seen what he can contribute offensively.
"Whether it’s scoring like he has tonight or making plays and facilitating for others."
What does this mean for Tavares? Well, he's now relegated to playing mentor on a line with a pair of youngsters in Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson. It's a role that puts far less pressure on the team's elder statesman.
And while it might not be permanent, chances are that if Tavares does make it back to the second line, it probably will be as a winger. At least, until his contract expires in 2026.
TOP 10 TRENDING STORIES
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3) Belief Growing Penguins Extend Jake Guentzel: Signing the winger to a new deal is coming stronger.
4) 'I'm Hoping There's Many More Years': Warren Foegele Reveals What He Loves About the Oilers and Why He Doesn't Want to be Traded: Edmonton Oilers forward Warren Foegele's exclusive interview with The Hockey News.
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6) Larkin Leads the Way, Walman-Seider Pass Serious Test, and Lyon Stars Again: Red Wings-Avalanche Statistical Review: A dive into the underlying numbers from the Red Wings 2-1 OT win over Colorado
7) Why The Golden Knights Should Explore A Jake Guentzel Trade: Vegas is littered with injuries and need help scoring.
8) Canucks Centerman Voted Top-10 NHL Center By Players And Executives: Vancouver Canucks centerman Elias Pettersson was voted the 10th best center in the NHL, according to a vote done by NHL players and executives
9) Why Mason Lohrei is Bruins' No-Cost Deadline Upgrade: The Bruins don't have many assets to work with this season, but Lohrei has started to show that he is the no-cost deadline option the team needs
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