Head Coach Jim Hiller Confirms John Tavares Returning To Maple Leafs Lineup

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller revealed that Jack Roslovic and John Tavares would be slotting into the lineup for their game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Roslovic hasn't missed any games, but he did miss a practice on Wednesday for maintenance and was unavailable for post-game comments after Toronto's loss to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, as he was busy getting treatment.

It wasn't revealed what he was dealing with, but there wasn't much doubt about his availability for Saturday's game.

For Tavares, Hiller confirmed that he would be returning, marking his first game since Oct. 15 against the Buffalo Sabres, where he suffered his lower-body injury.

He had his first practice wearing a regular practice sweater on Friday, and was positioned on the left wing with Nick Paul and William Nylander.

The 36-year-old was added back on the first power-play unit as well. With Roslovic in the bumper position, Tavares goes back to his regular net-front spot, where he's already scored one goal and four points on the man advantage.

"We're adding a fantastic player and a guy that does a lot of things for our team," Auston Matthews said on Saturday morning. "I mean, the last couple days in practice he's been the best player on the ice. So he's going to be a huge boost for us a huge help not only on the ice but obviously in the room he carries a presence and around and a lot of guys obviously look up to him and lean on him so it's going to be a big boost for us."

Tavares has featured in seven games so far this year. In that span, he's produced two goals and seven points. In his last game, he posted two assists in just the 11:47 of ice time he played before exiting the contest. The veteran has four points in his last two games.

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