The Maple Leafs captain was a full participant at practice on Monday and is inching closer to a return from an oblique injury.
Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares took part in just his second full practice on Monday as he aims to make his return from an oblique injury that initially was thought to rule him out for the team’s regular season opener on Wednesday.
“I’m really happy with where I’m at. Physically a really good day,” Tavares said. “Another good day with performance and medical staff and go from there.”
Tavares took part in every drill during Toronto’s penultimate practice before they hit the road to take on the Montreal Canadiens. The 32-year-old took regular reps on the club’s second line with forwards William Nylander and Denis Malgin, the latter winning a final roster spot with the club.
“The plan is that if all goes well for the rest of the day that’d he’d come to tomorrow’s practice, as always, preparing to play,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Tavares. “He’s day-to-day at this point and we’ll continue to assess him.”
All indications are that Tavares will join the team on the flight to Montreal on Tuesday with Keefe saying they’ll make a determination on the captain’s status while they’re in the air.
Tavares injured his oblique on Sept. 24 during a pre-season game against the Ottawa Senators. Three weeks later, Keefe announced that the forward would be out for a minimum of three weeks.
Although that timeline had him out until Oct. 18, Tavares has shown progress through the last week.
Sometimes the body can take a little longer than you’d like, in this case it’s been a little bit quicker,” Keefe said of Tavares.
The captain suffered an oblique injury in 2019 but this one is unrelated. While he initially suffered this injury on Sept. 24 after taking a cross-check, he felt something pull in the area during practice a couple of days later.
But it never felt like anything he expected would keep him out for as long as it has.
“It’s felt more like a contusion than a muscle strain compared to the way I had it last time but we had to treat it obviously based on what the imaging showed us,” Tavares explained.
Tavares has looked good on the ice and his return on Wednesday would prevent a scenario in which the club would have to dress a 19-player roster for opening night, given how tight they are up against the $82.5 million salary cap.
“Chances probably only grow with every day,” Tavares said about his possible return. ”It’s been a really good process so far. I’m really happy with it and I want to be a part of it more than anybody. But I also understand the big picture and what’s ahead.”