William Nylander to start training camp at center, while It was exactly one year ago when Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed that John Tavares would miss a minimum of three weeks with an oblique strain. Just a couple of days before that announcement, Tavares logged 17:14 in a pre-season game with the Ottawa Senators. Although the original timeline was going to have the captain sidelined for the first three games of the regular season, Tavares was able to be cleared to return for their season opener. "I missed most of camp last year and I felt really good to start the year," he recalled. Tavares opened the season with a two-assist performance against the Montreal Canadiens and had four goals and six assists through the first nine games of the season. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8202hys2BE[/embed] Toronto's captain had never missed much of training camp before so this was a new data point. It also led to a conversation between the captain and head coach about changing things up for this season. "I think that showed me a lot about the work you put in the offseason," Tavares said. "You think you want to be all systems go on the first day of camp in terms of your rhythm, and your timing. (But) I think it's more so continuing to build and understand the big picture." So that led to a different path this season. He's taken part in practices with main groups but was held out of the club's first two games of the pre-season. On Wednesday, he'll make his pre-season debut when the club takes on the Buffalo Sabres in St. Thomas, Ontario as part of the annual Kraft Hockeyville celebration. Having never missed most of a pre-season before, Tavares got a valuable data point in his approach to things. Now 33-years-old, it's about trying to maximize his performance. Is it necessary for players of a certain age like him to play so many games before the stakes become a lot higher and the games take on significance? It's not like Tavares can go play a pre-season game and put in an effort similar to shinny hockey. "For me personally, it's always hard. I think as a competitor you want to get out there and play at a high level and execute at a high level and compete very hard," Tavares said. "It's important you're not looking to rev things down." Tavares has been skating on a line with Matthew Knies and Sam Lafferty and that will be deployed on Wednesday night. But as the season progresses, there could be a chance Tavares moves to the wing, if it makes sense. It's not in the cards right now. But if it happens again like it did last season, the captain has been open to experimentation. "John's all about the team and wants to see the team do well," Keefe said of Tavares. "We came and presented him with a scenario we were building and he's all for it and all about it." Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related Maple Leafs Forward Bobby McMann Opens Up About Torn Adductor Injury Recovery During Training Camp [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-forward-bobby-mcmann-opens-up-about-torn-adductor-injury-recovery-during-training-camp] Easton Cowan Remains in Maple Leafs' Main Practice Group as Shuffling Begins at Training Camp [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/easton-cowan-remains-in-maple-leafs-main-practice-group-as-shuffling-begins-at-training-camp] Easton Cowan Earns an Extended Look and More Observations from Maple Leafs Pre-Season Loss to Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/easton-cowan-earns-an-extended-look-and-more-observations-from-maple-leafs-pre-season-loss-to-senators] News from THN.com NHL Fantasy Hockey Metropolitan Preview: Hidden Gems, Projections and More [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-fantasy-hockey-metropolitan-preview-hidden-gems-projections-and-more] How a 21-Year-Old Can Propel the Winnipeg Jets in a Critical Season [https://thehockeynews.com/news/how-a-21-year-old-can-propel-the-winnipeg-jets-in-a-critical-season] Which NHL Teams Have the Most Pending UFAs to Address in 2023-24? [https://thehockeynews.com/news/which-nhl-teams-have-the-most-pending-ufas-to-address-in-2023-24]
