The Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten off to a bit of a slow start to begin the season. Although it has only been three games, the club has just one win and has allowed more goals than it has scored. General manager John Chayka, however, likely assumed this might happen. After all, the exec heavily revamped his roster, including swapping out more than half of his forwards.
Multiple Maple Leafs newcomers are trying to adjust to their new surroundings. Nevertheless, a veteran Toronto star is among those enduring a rough first few games of the campaign. As The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel has pointed out, there are some worrying signs regarding John Tavares. The 36-year-old center has two assists in the three games, but underlying stats show that he is struggling so far.
According to Siegel, Tavares registered a top speed of 36.5 KPH last season. However, his fastest skate in the early stags of the current campaign is just 32.6 KPH. Obviously, it is early in the year, but at 36, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be worrying if the veteran has officially lost a step. The center has three seasons remaining on his four-year, $17.5 million ($4.38 million AAV) contract with the club.
On top of his speed, Tavares has also uncharacteristically struggled on faceoffs. In fact, he has managed to win just 43.2% of his battles in the circle. His 25 faceoff losses currently rank inside the top 10 among NHL players. For reference, the veteran won 57.6% of his faceoffs during the 2025-26 season and has not been below 54.6 during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs Encouraged to Move John Tavares off of 2C Role
As Siegel noted, Tavares’ early issues could be affected by the NHL’s condensed training camp and preseason schedule. Because of this, players may need extra time to get back into the swing of things. Despite this, some are urging Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller to make a change.
Alex Hobson of The Leafs Nation has hinted that Toronto should be looking to shake up their second line. At the moment, Tavares is centering the line alongside rookie Gavin McKenna and star winger William Nylander. Although, again, it is still early, this particular line has not played well to begin the season. In fact, the trio has been among the worst offensive lines in the NHL.
“Tavares didn’t just forget how to play hockey overnight, and I’d sooner bet on him finding his stride again this season over having a complete fall-off, but right now, it’s not working,” writes Hobson. “Plain and simple. At bare minimum, he should be moved to the wing in place of somebody like Nick Paul.”
Toronto Impressed With Young Forward’s Play
The Toronto Maple Leafs potentially moving Paul up to the second line, even temporarily, would make sense. Another shuffle could see Jack Roslovic move down to the second line center role. The fellow veteran has plenty of NHL experience at the position and was solid on faceoffs with the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers.
In this latter move, Hiller and the Maple Leafs could promote Easton Cowan to the top line. Unlike Tavares, the youngster has hit the ground running on the team’s third line. Hiller recently raved about Cowan’s start to the season, and some in the Toronto media are claiming that the young forward needs more playing time. The winger is averaging a TOI of just 13:49 so far, nearly a minute less than last season.
Maple Leafs Urged to Demote $17.5 Million Veteran Amid Slow Start