"No good at all" - Ex-Maple Leafs player speculates on severity of John Tavares' injury after being placed on IR

On Thursday, former NHL player Mike Johnson shared his thoughts on John Tavares' injury. The Toronto Maple Leafs alternate captain was placed on injured reserve (IR) following a fall during practice on Wednesday.

Maple Leafs shared the news on X:

"Maple Leafs F John Tavares has been placed on IR (lower body). F Fraser Minten has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL)."

Johnson speculated that Tavares may have suffered a serious muscle or joint injury.

"If I fell in spot like that, I'm like there goes my hammy (hamstring), there goes my groin, or there goes my knee, because my body can't move the way that it's probably otherwise moved to get out of a situation like that," Johnson said. "I was like, that's a pulled hamstring, pulled groin or a strained MCL ... It's no good, no good at all." (6:40 onwards)

Tavares, who signed a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Leafs in 2018, has been a major offensive contributor. He gave up his captaincy to Auston Matthews before the 2024-25 season but continues to play a key role.

Tavares has scored 20 goals and added 22 assists in 44 games this season. He has been especially productive in wins, with 34 points in 26 victories. However, his performance has dropped in losses, with only eight points in 18 defeats.

Here's a video of Tavares' fall during practice:

Tavares has amassed 476 goals, 606 assists and 1,082 points in 1,153 career games.

John Tavares talks about future with Maple Leafs

In December, John Tavares spoke about his decision to leave the New York Islanders and join the Leafs. He said that his time in Toronto has been even better than he expected.

“Aside from not being able to help bring a Stanley Cup here, it’s been everything I could hope for.” Tavares said, per NHL.com. “In fact, it’s been even better than I thought, to be honest.”

Tavares also mentioned his goal to re-sign with the Leafs.

“I’ve said it before, I would love to stay and hope it works out,” Tavares added. “I think that's, that's my goal and my intention.”

With John Tavares sidelined, the Leafs will need to adjust. His absence is a big loss but the team hopes to stay competitive as they await further updates on his injury.