The secret behind John Tavares' hot start
Much to the delight of Leafs Nation, rumours of John Tavares' decline have been greatly exaggerated. The 32-year-old Leafs Captain is off to a scorching hot start. With 3 goals and 4 assists in his first 6 games, Tavares is tearing it up and leading the Leafs in scoring. He's proving wrong everyone who predicted a drop off in his play.
So, how did he do it? How does a 32-year-old suddenly look years younger on the ice compared to last season? There are two major factors behind the resurgence of Johnny Toronto. The first, and simplest, is that he had a healthy offseason. That alone is a huge step forward from where he was a year ago. The summer of 2021 was a nightmare for Tavares, dealing with a concussion and a knee injury thanks to a pair of collisions with both Ben Chiarot and Corey Perry in Game 1 of the playoffs. Being able to train and exercise all summer is obviously helping in the early going.
Second, Tavares used the time he had to work on his skating, specifically being lighter on his feet and more agile. Since his OHL days, the one knock on Tavares has been his skating, so any improvement there is bound to have an impact on his overall game. The Mississauga native moved on from his long time skating coach, Dawn Braid, to work with newly hired Leafs skating consultant Paul Matheson. Tavares and Matheson spent the summer working on turning the veteran center's weakness into a strength. Clearly, it's paying dividends early in the season.
After 6 games, the Leafs hold a 4-2-0 record. Without Tavares' team leading 7 points, the slow start from the Leafs top line may have derailed them. Instead, the captain is doing what a captain should, leading from the front, and proving to all of his detractors that his time as an elite player in the NHL is far from over.
| POLL | ||
24 OCTOBRE | 140 ANSWERS The secret behind John Tavares' hot start Will Tavares break 90 points this season? | ||
| No | 59 | 42.1 % |
| Yes | 81 | 57.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
