Reliable Tavares taking up mantle as Maple Leafs deal with Matthews absence

TORONTO — There was a lot of talk about high-end centres at Toronto Maple Leafs practice on Friday. There’s the one not playing for Toronto right now; the one doing a fantastic job stepping into the void for the Leafs and the one coming to town on Saturday night fresh on the heels of recording his 1,000^th (and 1,001^st) NHL point on Thursday evening.

Of course, front-of-mind for Leafs fans — ahead of how good John Tavares is playing or the challenge Connor McDavid will present when Toronto takes on the Edmonton Oilers in 24 hours — is the health of Auston Matthews. The Buds captain — sidelined by an upper-body injury — will not dress versus the Oilers, has missed five games and did not skate either Thursday or Friday.

“Normal,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said when asked how No. 34 was progressing. “No setbacks, we’re doing what we can. We’ve got two games in [five days], so we’re just letting him recover.”

Asked if he was surprised by the length of Matthews’ absence — he last played Nov. 3 versus the Minnesota Wild — Berube indicated there’s no need to raise red flags. “Everybody is different, all injuries are different,” he said. “Would I like him back? Sure, but it is what it is. We have to just keep moving on without him right now.”

Tavares is certainly doing as much as anybody to help Toronto stay on track. The guy who passed the ‘C’ on to Matthews last summer has four goals in five games without the team’s usual top centre in the lineup. That run includes a big two-point contest in Wednesday night’s 4-3 overtime win in Washington, where Tavares netted the game-winner by streaking down the ice — not exactly his calling card — to corral a loose puck and tuck the decisive marker home.

“He definitely had a little jump in his step,” goalie Anthony Stolarz said of Tavares with a grin. “He put the speed burners on for that overtime goal; it must be those new CCM skates. He’s been playing well, he’s been a leader in the room and someone who plays a two-way game and the younger guys can look up to him. When he’s going and he’s playing at his best, it kind of rallies the team and makes everyone want to play just like him.”

While nobody on the planet is qualified to speak about what it’s like to be in McDavid’s skates other than the man himself, Tavares has certainly had some shared experiences with the Oilers captain. Both guys — like Matthews — were first-overall NHL selections and both Tavares and McDavid gained early entrance into the Ontario Hockey League thanks to being granted expectational-player status. In fact, Tavares recalled being at a National Hockey League Players’ Association event with a 15-year-old McDavid as the extremely hyped prospect was embarking on his first OHL season in 2012-13. McDavid, like Tavares, has always leaned toward letting his play do his talking and the latter could tell it was a process for McDavid learning to deal with all the attention he’s received from such a young age.

“I think when he was younger — I don’t want to say it was overwhelming for him — but it was a lot of attention, no doubt,” Tavares said. “It was very unique [in terms of social media emerging at that time]. I remember being young and following [Sidney Crosby] through his junior career and the anticipation of him coming to the NHL was obviously very, very high. But it almost felt like [it had gone] to a different level for Connor. I got to be around him [at the NHLPA event] and at that time, you could sense all the attention — I don’t want to say he was uncomfortable — but you could just sense it was a lot for a teenager and a kid, and I think he just wanted to play hockey and loves to play.

“I think now [he has] a real sense of himself. How he carries himself on a daily basis, how he deals with the media, how he deals with being in the public eye all the time, obviously he’s found a pretty good balance. What he does, season-to-season, the type of player he is, all that he has on his plate, it’s not easy, but it’s impressive. As always, when you play him, it’s one of the toughest challenges of the year.”

Yes, for all McDavid has to deal with, once the puck drops, his abilities are the other team’s problem. “It’s pretty nerve-wracking,” Leafs winger Matthew Knies acknowledged. “He’s really skilled, really fast so you just don’t want to get beat, try to limit his offence. He’s a pleasure to watch, but it’s pretty nerve-wracking playing against him.”

Stolarz, who spent a few months with the Oilers in 2018-19, said the outside perception of McDavid is exactly what you see when you share a dressing room with him. “On the ice, it’s his ability to make plays at such a high rate of speed,” Stolarz cited as the takeaway from being around No. 97 all the time. “He’s always moving his feet and can think the game really well and off the ice, he was a great guy and someone who was well respected in that room.”

Luckily for the Leafs, they’ll get a little breather after facing McDavid. Following two sets of back-to-back contests in the past week, the Buds — including the tilt versus Edmonton — will play just four times in the next 12 days. That will allow some time to heal up for players like Max Domi, who missed practice Friday, but will play Saturday according to Berube. And, of course, it allows the team to be extra patient with Matthews.

“The whole thing [as I’ve said] before is, we want to get him 100 per cent and get it behind us so he can move forward and we can move forward,” Berube said.