John Tavares Returns to the Leafs Lineup With a Plot Twist

John Tavares is officially back in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup after a nine-game vacation, but he is returning with a plot twist. The former captain is sliding over to the wing.

Hearing a 36-year-old center is moving to the wing sounds like the hockey equivalent of putting your dad at first base so he does not have to run as much. But for a Toronto team sitting at 8-7-2 and seventh in the Atlantic Division, they will take whatever version of Tavares they can get.

"Daily Faceoff reported: 'John Tavares is back'"

Head coach Jim Hiller confirmed the return for Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Tavares is slotting in on the left side of the second line, centered by Nick Paul with William Nylander on the right.

Before getting his legs taken out awkwardly against the Buffalo Sabres on October 15, Tavares was actually cooking. He posted two goals and five assists in his first seven games, proving that the four-year, $4.38 million AAV extension he signed in June was not just a nostalgia trip.

The Leafs managed a perfectly mediocre 5-4-0 record during his lower-body injury absence. Getting a point-per-game producer back completely changes the math for Toronto's top six, which is something to keep in mind if you are eyeing the over on their team totals or slotting him back into your fantasy lineups.

We will see how the wing experiment looks against Montreal, but the real test comes immediately after. Toronto has the New Jersey Devils waiting for them on Sunday to cap off a back-to-back, meaning Tavares is going to have to find his skating legs in a hurry.