John Tavares Leaves Game With Injury Just Days After Returning From Paternity Leave

The Toronto Maple Leafs simply cannot have nice things. Just days after John Tavares returned to the lineup following the birth of his fourth child, the captain was forced to leave Thursday night's 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres with an injury, as reported by Daily Faceoff.

Losing your second-line center in a one-goal divisional game is bad enough. Losing him when the team is already scrambling to find early-season consistency is the kind of script that makes Toronto fans want to throw their televisions into Lake Ontario.

"Daily Faceoff reported: 'Leafs’ Tavares leaves game with injury'"

The exact nature of the injury is still a mystery, which is standard operating procedure for the NHL's medical secret police. What we do know is that Tavares had three points in his first five games before taking a brief personal leave last week. He came back, only to exit a chaotic matchup where the Leafs gave up five goals for the second straight game following a 5-4 loss to Utah.

For anyone holding Maple Leafs futures or relying on Toronto player props, this is a massive red flag. Tavares anchors the middle of the ice and the power play. If he misses extended time, the entire offensive ecosystem shifts, forcing guys like Nick Paul to punch above their weight class in the top six.

It is objectively hilarious in the darkest way possible that Tavares survived the sleep deprivation of a newborn only to get taken out by a random Thursday night hockey game. The human body can handle a screaming infant at 3 a.m., but the Buffalo Sabres are apparently a bridge too far.

The timing could not be worse for the narrative machine. Toronto is scheduled to host the New York Islanders next on October 17. A Tavares revenge game against his former team is usually a lock for prime viewing, but now we are stuck waiting on a medical update. Keep an eye on the morning skate reports before locking in any lineup decisions.