Terry Koshan just reported that Jim Hiller isn't sure John Tavares will be back in the Maple Leafs lineup this weekend.
The veteran center is listed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and the latest injury report has him out until at least Nov 27. A return this weekend would beat that estimate by a wide margin. Tavares was also part of the group listed as week-to-week last Wednesday.
According to Koshan, Hiller said the Maple Leafs will "get him into a practice with us, hopefully sooner rather than later, see how he does and then make the next step."
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That puts the first checkpoint on the ice, not in a game. Koshan added that practices are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday, so the window before the weekend is small.
Toronto is 8-6-2 through 16 games, and Tavares has dressed for 7 of them.
Why a cautious return makes sense for Toronto
Rushing a 36-year-old center back from a lower-body injury, with the injury report pointing to late November, would be a bad idea. Hiller's wording says the Leafs know it.
Tavares has been productive when he's played. He has 2 goals and 5 assists in those 7 games, and four of those points came on the power play.
The minus-5 rating is the other side of it. Toronto has been giving up chances with him on the ice, and a half-healthy version isn't going to fix that.
Still, the standings leave little room to wait. The Maple Leafs sit 13th in the NHL and sixth in the Atlantic Division, and they host UTA tonight after a 4-2 win in Vancouver on Saturday.
Fans got encouraging news earlier today when Tavares skating in a non-contact sweater was reported. Non-contact is a long way from a game lineup, though.
Wednesday's practice is the first real read. If he's on the ice with the group again Friday, the weekend conversation gets a lot more serious.
Should the Maple Leafs hold Tavares out until the injury report's Nov 27 estimate?
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