John Tavares returns to Maple Leafs practice sparking unexpected speculation

John Tavares made a return to Maple Leafs practice only a couple weeks removed from an injury as questions about his return start to emerge.

On Monday, the Maple Leafs were sporting their new Hometown Remix-styled practice jerseys as they prepared for their game against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night.

Coming off a strong performance against Vancouver, the team has questions anout how they should approach their goaltending situation and who should end up getting the start against the notoriously tough Mammoth.

Maple Leafs practice sees a huge return by a former captain

However there are also lineup questions that need to be answered considering that practice also saw the surprise return of John Tavares:

-

Tavares took the ice and was not in a non-contact jersey (a positive sign) and he was seen skating and working on drills, though according to the team is still out week-to-week:

-

It's about the same timeline that Chris Tanev followed, as he missed about three weeks before he was back in the swing of things, and it can only be hoped that Tavares can come back in the same vein.

Tavares has two goals and seven points in seven games this season.

Tavares' return may not be this week, but he's certainly close

Knowing how dedicated Tavares is to fitness and recovery, it's not too shocking to see him already on the ice and knowing that Tanev of all people made a return after a handful of weeks is a good sign.

Now, Tavares is not coming back tomorrow against Utah, and it's unlikely that he comes back for Saturday's game against Montreal. But the Sunday game against New Jersey on Nov. 8th would be 3.5 weeks since he's been hurt so that lines up with a likelier return.

It'll also be a question of how he's going to affect the lineup, as it's likely his return is going to move Gavin McKenna back up to the top-six, and drop Nick Paul back down - though he's quietly been a fantastic 2C and could lead to some other questions later on.

But for now,it's just good to see Tavares back on the ice and working towards a return, and there's hope that the Maple Leafs can gain more momentum just in time for him to ride the wave.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Sharks outbid Maple Leafs for Simon Edvinsson with outlandish trade offer