In the offseason, general manager Brad Treliving had to pivot from Mitch Marner and his eight-year $12M AAV contract. Treliving ended up obtaining Nicolas Roy in the Marner trade, and re-signed John Tavares and Matthew Knies.

Auston Matthews, who hasn’t played since Nov. 11 with a lower-body injury, skated before practice Wednesday and is “improving” but will stay out of the lineup Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets while Chris Tanev, who hasn’t played since Nov. 1, is still “a ways away,” the coach said.

The Toronto Maple Leafs honored John Tavares with a special pregame ceremony on Wednesday to commemorate his 500th career NHL goal. Before the Maple Leafs game against the Utah Mammoth, the team showed a tribute video highlighting Tavares' time in Toronto. Tavares then skated from the bench to his family as the crowd cheered him on.

Not only did Tavares hit that milestone, but the veteran forward also tallied his 500th point with his second team in October, becoming only the fourth player in NHL history — alongside Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Ron Francis — to achieve the feat.