Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares suffered an oblique injury preparing for the world hockey championships with Team Canada in Slovakia.
The Maple Leafs made the announcement, saying Tavares will return to Toronto for evaluation. His status for Team Canada is uncertain. Canada opens play in the world championships on Friday against Finland on Friday.
The world championships run through May 26.
Tavares, 28, had 47 goals and 41 assists, playing all 82 games this season, his first with the Maple Leafs after signing with Toronto as a free agent.
He also played all 82 games in 2017-18, his final season with the New York Islanders.
The six-time All-Star has 272 goals and 349 assists in 10 NHL seasons.
This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.