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“I think it’s the coach’s job to figure out (lines), who you complement and who can complement you. You don’t worry about that stuff, just go out there and play the game. That’s what got you here.”

Tavares showed a serious game-face all morning, but Leivo saw some levity.

“He’s fun to watch, and fun to be out on the ice with. He’s creating a lot,” Leivo said. “He had a couple of weeks off (after being married in July), so he’s looking to get back into things, but he’s always looking great.

“I think it’s going to be a huge boost. It can’t be any (less offence) than what we had last year (277 goals, second most in the conference). We’re going to have a fun year.”

Hyman has chatted with Tavares a couple of times this summer.

“He’s easy to talk to and he’ll fit in really well with our group. He’s really strong on the puck and makes plays. It will be exciting to have him in camp and see him do all that stuff. It’s coming down to (September) now. Over the next few weeks, more guys will filter back in and we’re ready.”

Ozhiganov, the 25-year-old off the boat from Moscow CSKA, signed an entry-level contract and is getting immersed in North American life, with the smaller rink and taking English classes. Judging by the way fellow defencemen such as Travis Dermott were helping explain the drills on Wednesday, he’s a fast learner.

“I sat down and spoke to him a good 30 minutes the other day,” Hyman noted. “When Nikita Soshnikov came over, he spoke little or zero English and Ozzie already speaks more English than he did. He’ll pick it up pretty quickly, he knows the basics.

“Hockey talk is (universal) and the thing about it nowadays is you have so much video. So if you can’t communicate, you can show him the right way and then he can visualize. We’ll also have Nikita Zaitsev coming in soon to translate if there are some words he doesn’t get.”

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