The Maple Leafs saw John Tavares return to full practice in a non-contact jersey, as the team upgraded his injury status with a return on the horizon.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming back off a Western road trip that saw them come out with a mixed bag of results. A great start in Edmonton was cut short by losses to Calgary and Seattle though managed to salvage their last game in Vancouver.
But now they head back home to face the Utah Mammoth and with a bit of momentum and revenge for an early-season loss on their minds - it's going to be an intense and hard-fought game from start to finish.
John Tavares' return nears as Maple Leafs upgrade his status
Though they're in tough on Tuesday, their morning started off with some fantastic news as John Tavares was not only back to practice with the rest of his teammates, but the team is anticipating a return very soon.
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According to TSN's Chris Johnston , Tavares has been upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day, which means that the former captain and veteran leader is looking to make his return sometime this week.
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Tavares was injured on Oct. 15 when he took a below the belt hit against the Sabres and immediately crumpled to the ice. It was a scary sight for the typically durable Tavares, and there was concerns this could be a season-altering injury.
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However, his determination and insane recovery routine have led him to return in only a few weeks, and all credit to the Maple Leafs new Sport Performance staff for finding ways to get him back on the ice sooner.
Tavares has seven points in seven games this season, and was a key part of the early offense alongside William Nylander and Auston Matthews.
Tavares coming back means someone is going down
His pending return though is going to see Nick Paul likely pushed down to the 3C again, and it could be the key to getting Gavin McKenna back in the top-six. Things have seemed a bit off for the rookie since Tavares went down and although he's been solid on the PP - he's still getting benched a lot more.
That might not happen if his trusted mentor is beside him, and Hiller can trust that the return of Tavares while not a perfect defensive solution, at least allows McKenna a better outlet for his playmaking and creativity.
But there's a chance that Tavares' return does throw off the chemistry of things a little bit, but so long as Hiller doesn't mess with his first or fourth lines, then he has some flexibility on where to put Tavares - a 3C role isn't out of the cards.
Though that's pretty unlikely and when Tavares comes back we are going to see him probably line up alongside his old running mates and looking to get back on track like only he can.
Do you think John Tavares will return this week for the Maple Leafs?
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