John Tavares Still 'Being Evaluated' After Injury During Maple Leafs Practice

Tavares left the ice late in the practice after going down awkwardly during a power play drill.

Toronto Maple Leafs practice went silent during the back half of practice after John Tavares went down with an injury.

The 34-year-old went down in the corner while the team practiced the power play. Chris Tanev's left leg got caught with Tavares' skate, causing the forward to almost do the splits.

Once he got to his feet, Tavares was seen shaking out his right leg. He exited the ice on his own power and went straight to the Maple Leafs' dressing room.

"Nothing yet. He's being evaluated. I didn't even see it. It kind of happened behind the net. I couldn't really get a look at it. He's being looked at now," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said after practice.

"He's been a great player for sure, in a lot of areas. Hopefully he's okay."

Amid several storylines surrounding him, from losing the captaincy to entering a contract year with Toronto, Tavares has had a strong season. His 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points is the third-most on the Maple Leafs this season.

"He's been a great player for us. I mean, I think it started [with] the captaincy switch and how he handled that, and just came in and played extremely well for us," Berube added. "Done a lot of good things for us. And, he's a great teammate, great leader, and been a fabulous player for a long time."

Tavares is in his seventh season with the Maple Leafs. In 483 games, he's scored 461 points (204 goals, 257 assists). The forward has been one of the most consistent players on the Maple Leafs and has the third-most points since joining the team in 2018.

"No matter who it is, you don't want to see them leave the ice in that fashion," Jake McCabe, who's missed the last four games with an injury, said on Wednesday. "So hopefully he's alright and it's nothing too serious. He's obviously a massive part of our team."

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