John Tavares poised for huge bounce back year, talks about his offseason preparations and the new additions to the team
The 2021-2022 version of John Tavares wasn't quite the dynamic 1B centreman Leafs fans have grown accustomed to seeing since he signed here in Toronto. Despite a 76-point season, JT just didn't look entirely himself. His 27 goals were a far cry from the explosive 47 goal season he had when he first joined the team. Fans were quick to notice, especially when Tavares went on a 14 game slump without a single goal. Despite both Tavares and Nylander being within spitting distance of point-per-game seasons, their line was actually outscored at 5-on-5, which was also concerning. But, was it a sign of the beginning of a decline for the Leafs captain, or were the residual effects of a significant injury hampering him?
One thing that certainly didn't help Tavares was his offseason last summer. The last image of Tavares' 2020-21 season was the Leafs captain leaving the ice on a stretcher after a hit from Ben Chiarot put him off-balance and sent him to the ice just in time to be kneed in the head by then Habs winger Corey Perry. The incident, which I am still not convinced was entirely accidental, left Tavares with a concussion and a knee injury. His off season training was replaced by rehab and careful load management. Not exactly the best way to prepare for a new hockey season.
Tavares is, thankfully, back to his healthy self this offseason, and is already working with Leafs development staff to come back stronger this season. According to Tavares, he's looking to find more footspeed and agility, something that was clearly missing last season. TSN's Mark Masters caught up with Tavares at a Marner Assist Foundation event this week and asked him what is different about this summer and how he's preparing himself for the 2022-23 season. Here's what JT had to say:
"[I'm] always trying to tweak things and work on things as best I can. For me, obviously, I'm just trying to be a little quicker, a little lighter on my feet, which I think is really important as I continue to evolve and progress in my career. I've done some really good work there with the development staff already and like where things have started and I've had a really good start from that standpoint. Physically, I feel really good. Obviously, last offseason coming off the injury, there [were] a lot of hurdles early to get to a point where I felt really good about where I was at and getting cleared to return."
Tavares is a tireless worker and a consummate professional. It's no surprise to see him spending his summer working to make himself a better hockey player while others may be off trying to forget about hockey for a few short months. Even if he was just working out normally, he would already be way ahead of where he was last season. Don't be surprised when we see a quicker, rejuvenated and more dangerous Tavares when the puck drops in October.
The Leafs' captain was also asked about some of the movement and changes to the team, with some new bodies coming in and some key pieces heading out this summer. Tavares acknowledged that, unfortunately, roster turnover is just a part of the business in the salary cap era.
He was also asked about the addition of two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Matt Murray in goal. Tavares had a great deal to say about Murray, including pumping his tires for getting the job done twice in his career and showing glimpses of his former self this past season. JT says Murray is coming to Toronto with a high level of motivation and belief in himself, which should certainly bode well for the Leafs, if that's the case.
"Obviously, what Matt's proven in his career - anytime you win two Stanley Cups, that's pretty impressive... how hard it is every single year to earn the opportunity in the playoffs and then wanting to go as far as you can and win the ultimate prize - how difficult that is. Those are experiences, successes that he'll lean on and obviously his talent to continue to work at getting his game at where he wants it to be... he showed really good signs of it last year. Speaking to him over the last couple days, I know how motivated he is and how driven he is to come in and help us get to where we want to get to and how much he believes in [his abilities]."
The offseason moves are not done yet for the Leafs, who still lack the top six addition that they had been coveting coming into the summer, so that will likely be addressed. On top of that, the Buds still need room under the cap to ink Rasmus Sandin and Pierre Engvall to contract extensions, so we're very likely to see a move here in short order so they can get that done. There is also a strong belief that the Leafs could move on from Jake Muzzin this summer, as they'll need room on that left side to allow Sandin to play on his strong side, as Dubas prefers him there, as opposed to shifting him over to the right side.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 16 | 735 ANSWERS John Tavares poised for huge bounce back year, talks about his offseason preparations and the new additions to the team Will John Tavares have a stronger season in 2022-23? | ||
| Yes | 438 | 59.6 % |
| No | 152 | 20.7 % |
| About the same, which certainly isn't bad | 145 | 19.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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