John Tavares takes responsibility for Leafs rough start
If there is one Leaf not named Ilya Samsonov that deserves praise this season, it's John Tavares. The Leafs captain spent the entire summer working on his skating and his defensive play to be a better player for the Leafs. After missing most of training camp with an oblique injury, Tavares came out firing to start the season. In 9 games the Mississauga native has put up 4 goals and 10 points.
10 points in 9 games is a fantastic start for a player who, in the opinion of some fans, lost a step last season and was no longer worth his contract. Still, his glamorous individual stats don't do much to distract from the fact that his team is now 4-4-1 to start the season. His improved play hasn't been enough to stop the Leafs from dropping 3 straight games against 2 teams that missed the playoffs last season and one that lost in the first round, none of whom played their starting goaltenders. After the Leafs deflating loss to the LA Kings, Tavares, being the leader that he is, didn't spare himself in his criticism of the Leafs' play of late.
On one hand, we can look to last season for hope. The Leafs started the season with a 4-7-1 record and finished with a franchise record 115 points before losing a hard fought series to the 2 time Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay Lightning. On the other hand, had the Leafs not been so slow out of the gate, they could have won their division and faced the Washington Capitals instead. Yes, its early in the season, but these games matter. The sooner the Leafs break out of their funk, the better. If they don't, we could soon see big changes to the team, from the management group to the roster. The clock is ticking on this team, and they know it.
