Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury, the team announced on Thursday.
Tavares was subsequently listed as week-to-week. Forward Fraser Minten is being recalled from the Toronto Marlies in a corresponding move.
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Maple Leafs F John Tavares has been placed on IR (lower body). 
F Fraser Minten has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
&mdash; Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeafsPR/status/1879904458194489525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Tavares suffered the injury <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/john-tavares-leaves-leafs-practice-after-apparent-injury-power-play">during Wednesday&#8217;s practice</a> after getting tangled up with defenceman Chris Tanev near the boards, during a power play drill. He skated off under his own power and headed directly to the dressing room.
&#8220;He’s being evaluated. I didn’t even see it. It kind of happened behind the net. I couldn’t really get a look at it. He’s being looked at now,&#8221; Berube said Wednesday.
Here&#8217;s a video of the play, via Sportsnet:
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John Tavares left Maple Leafs practice early after getting hurt during a power-play drill
Craig Berube says he&#39;s still being evaluated <a href="https://t.co/LEahoaU6C7">pic.twitter.com/LEahoaU6C7</a>
&mdash; Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1879586234240225676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Tavares is in the midst of a resurgent campaign, registering 20 goals and 42 points in 43 games, winning 56.9 percent of his faceoffs, while the Leafs hold a plus-15 goal differential when he&#8217;s on the ice at 5-on-5. The 34-year-old was placed on a line alongside Max Pacioretty and William Nylander prior to leaving practice.
&#8220;He&#8217;s had an amazing year,&#8221; Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner said. &#8220;Very important, especially with Auston (Matthews) being injured and being out for a little while. He&#8217;s been great in all three zones and it&#8217;s been fun to watch.&#8221;
It&#8217;s unclear how the Maple Leafs will alter their lineup now that Tavares is on IR and Minten is back in the fold, but Max Domi may move up to the second line or Nylander could be used at centre. Connor Dewar may return to his spot on the fourth line, and it&#8217;ll be compelling to see how Berube responds to the challenge presented.
It would be a crushing loss if Tavares misses extended time with the injury, as he&#8217;s been an essential part of the team and is providing constant scoring for a Leafs team that often struggles to generate meaningful offence at 5-on-5, and on the power play. Tavares previously missed one game this year, due to an illness on October 12.
Meanwhile, this will be a big test for Minten who will likely be a factor in the middle-six. He got into 11 games with the Leafs during his first stint where he recorded four points (two goals and two assists).

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury, the team announced on Thursday.

Tavares was subsequently listed as week-to-week. Forward Fraser Minten is being recalled from the Toronto Marlies in a corresponding move.

https://twitter.com/LeafsPR/status/1879904458194489525

&nbsp;

Tavares suffered the injury <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/john-tavares-leaves-leafs-practice-after-apparent-injury-power-play">during Wednesday's practice</a> after getting tangled up with defenceman Chris Tanev near the boards, during a power play drill. He skated off under his own power and headed directly to the dressing room.

"He’s being evaluated. I didn’t even see it. It kind of happened behind the net. I couldn’t really get a look at it. He’s being looked at now," Berube said Wednesday.

Here's a video of the play, via Sportsnet:

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1879586234240225676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1879586234240225676%7Ctwgr%5E3291b811a0b72c25ee6e4d01bf0feaff85b39ad9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheleafsnation.com%2Fnews%2Fjohn-tavares-leaves-leafs-practice-after-apparent-injury-power-play

Tavares is in the midst of a resurgent campaign, registering 20 goals and 42 points in 43 games, winning 56.9 percent of his faceoffs, while the Leafs hold a plus-15 goal differential when he's on the ice at 5-on-5. The 34-year-old was placed on a line alongside Max Pacioretty and William Nylander prior to leaving practice.

"He's had an amazing year," Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner said. "Very important, especially with Auston (Matthews) being injured and being out for a little while. He's been great in all three zones and it's been fun to watch."

It's unclear how the Maple Leafs will alter their lineup now that Tavares is on IR and Minten is back in the fold, but Max Domi may move up to the second line or Nylander could be used at centre. Connor Dewar may return to his spot on the fourth line, and it'll be compelling to see how Berube responds to the challenge presented.

It would be a crushing loss if Tavares misses extended time with the injury, as he's been an essential part of the team and is providing constant scoring for a Leafs team that often struggles to generate meaningful offence at 5-on-5, and on the power play. Tavares previously missed one game this year, due to an illness on October 12.

Meanwhile, this will be a big test for Minten who will likely be a factor in the middle-six. He got into 11 games with the Leafs during his first stint where he recorded four points (two goals and two assists).

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