John Tavares Return Nears as Leafs Waive Bo Groulx for Joshua

John Tavares is back on the ice

John Tavares' return is getting closer. The Maple Leafs centre skated on his own before practice on Monday, Nov. 2, his first time on the ice with the team since a lower-body injury on Oct. 15, according to TSN's Ice Chips report. He did not take part in the main practice and will not play against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The same day, the Leafs placed forward Bo Groulx on waivers, a move first reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, to make room after Dakota Joshua's return from injury.

Both moves point in the same direction. Toronto's injury list is starting to shrink, and the roster is about to get crowded again. Here is where Tavares stands, what the Groulx decision means and the roster call that is coming next.

Tavares' injury timeline

Tavares was hurt early in the third period of Toronto's 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 15, when Buffalo's Josh Norris fell into him during a collision that also involved Nick Paul. He stayed down for a while before leaving with help. The Leafs later listed him as week-to-week with a lower-body injury and put him on injured reserve, and reports at the time said he could miss up to six weeks. We covered how the Leafs planned to cover centre without him two days after the injury.

Monday's skate is the first real step. He was moving well, according to reporters at the rink, but skating alone before practice is a long way from game action. The next markers are joining the main group in a regular jersey, then taking full contact, then a morning skate on a game day. Some reports have pointed to a possible return during the homestand, with the Nov. 8 game against New Jersey the more realistic target and the Nov. 7 game against Montreal unlikely. The Leafs have not given a date, and his official status is still week-to-week.

What Toronto has missed

Tavares had two goals and five assists for seven points in seven games before he was hurt, including two assists in the Buffalo game before he left. At 36, and on a team-friendly $4.38 million cap hit through 2028-29, he was producing like a second-line centre should. You can see his full contract terms on our contracts page.

Without him, Nick Paul has moved up to second-line centre, and Colton Sissons has handled the third line. The Leafs have gone 5-3-0 in the eight games since the Buffalo loss, including a 2-2 western road trip. Centre depth is not the only reason, but it has been visible: Sissons lost the defensive-zone faceoff to Matty Beniers that led to Brandon Montour's late winner in Seattle on Oct. 28.

Why Bo Groulx was waived

Groulx was the roster casualty of Joshua's return. Joshua, who opened the season on long-term injured reserve with a core muscle injury, went back into the lineup in Vancouver on Oct. 31. That left the Leafs needing a spot, and Groulx, who had not recorded a point in seven appearances, was the obvious candidate. Friedman reported the waiver placement on Nov. 2, and claims are due by noon ET on Nov. 3.

If Groulx clears, he is expected to report to the AHL's Toronto Marlies. That is familiar ground. The 26-year-old had eight goals and 14 points in 23 playoff games during the Marlies' run to the 2026 Calder Cup. He carries an $812,500 cap hit and becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. We wrote in September about his path to the 13th forward job; the job lasted a month.

Could someone claim him? It is possible. A cheap, waiver-eligible centre with a Calder Cup run behind him is the kind of depth player teams with injuries look at. If he is claimed, Toronto loses organizational centre depth at a time when its NHL centre group is already thin. If he clears, he stays a phone call away on the Marlies, which is the outcome that suits the Leafs best.

The Leafs injury list

Here is where Toronto's injured players stand heading into the Utah game:

Chris Tanev and Joshua both returned in Vancouver, which helped Toronto close its road trip with a 4-2 win. Marchenko is the other big absence. He had six goals and eight assists in 14 games before Calgary's Yegor Sharangovich hit him on Oct. 26, and the Leafs announced on Oct. 28 that he would be out week-to-week.

The roster call that is coming

When Tavares is ready, the Leafs will need another spot. That decision will say a lot about how head coach Jim Hiller and general manager John Chayka see the bottom of the lineup.

The most likely candidate is Vinni Lettieri. The 31-year-old was recalled from the Marlies on Oct. 19, is on a one-year, $850,000 two-way contract and has one goal in seven games. He is slotted on the third line with Sissons and Gavin McKenna for the Utah game, but he is the forward whose departure would change the least. Toronto could also make a move on defence once Blankenburg or Rifai is healthy, which would open a forward spot without sending a forward down.

The cap side matters too. Players coming off long-term injured reserve have to fit under the $104 million ceiling, and Toronto has been using LTIR relief to stay compliant. Each return from LTIR can force the Leafs to clear salary or a roster spot somewhere, which is why low-cost depth players like Groulx and Lettieri are the ones that move.

What John Tavares' return does for the lineup

The biggest effect is down the middle. Tavares back at second-line centre lets Paul drop to the third line, where he is a better fit, and pushes Sissons toward the fourth line or a checking role. That gives the Leafs three centres who can play real minutes, instead of the two they have had since mid-October.

It also changes things for McKenna, who opened the season on Tavares' wing before moving around the lineup. We argued that Hiller should keep McKenna on the first power-play unit when Tavares returns, and that still stands. At five-on-five, a third line with Paul at centre would give the rookie better support than his current spot with Sissons and Lettieri.

The power play gets a boost as well. Tavares has been one of the Leafs' most reliable net-front players with the man advantage for years, and his hands in tight are something the current unit does not have without him.

What's next

The Leafs host Utah on Nov. 3 to open a six-game homestand that runs through Nov. 14. The Groulx waiver result comes at noon that day. After that, watch for Tavares joining the main practice group, which would be the clearest sign that a return against Montreal or New Jersey is realistic.

Toronto is 8-6-2 and sits in a tight Atlantic Division race, which you can follow on our standings page. Getting a healthy Tavares back in the middle of the lineup for the second half of this homestand would be the best addition the Leafs can make in November, and it would not cost them a trade.