John Tavares is on his way back to Toronto after suffering an oblique injury at the World Hockey Championships in Slovakia.
According to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tavares is leaving Team Canada to come home for further evaluation by the Leafs' medical staff — a further update will be issued at a later date.
It wasn't immediately clear how the 28-year-old centre suffered the injury.
“We are disappointed that John will not be able to participate as a member of Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, but after contacting the Toronto Maple Leafs we agreed it was best for him to return home for further evaluation,” said Jason Botterill, a member of the management group for Canada’s National Men’s Team. “We know John was excited about the opportunity to wear the Maple Leaf once again, and we were excited to have John as a member of our team and to welcome his many years of NHL and international experience.” - Team Canada
Tavares had a career-high 47 goals with 41 assists in 82 games with the Maple Leafs in the NHL regular season, and added two goals and three assists in seven playoff games.
Canada opens world championship play against Finland on Friday in Kosice.
— With files from The Canadian Press