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.
At the end, Treliving had approximately $3.3M in cap space, and there was a sense of excitement in Leafs Nation, a new direction. However, as we reviewed last week’s performance, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in trouble.
Tavares has stood out from the rest of the Leafs in the first 20 games of the season. He is probably one of the only bright spots in an absolute trainwreck of a season so far. Let’s take a look.
New contract
One of the pressing needs in the offseason for Brad Treliving was what to do with former Leafs’ captain John Tavares. Tavares was coming off a seven-year, $11M AAV contract, and was looking to sign a 3–4 year deal.
Predictions had Tavares getting anywhere between $8.1M–$11.1M on a three-year deal. Some comparables were Brock Nelson’s three-year, $7.5M AAV deal, or Matt Duchene’s four-year, $4.5M contract. In Duchene’s case, he received a massive $6.56M in 2025–26, with $1.56M per year until 2029. So for Duchene, that $4.5M is a bit misleading.
When Tavares signed his four-year, $4.34M AAV contract, it stunned the hockey world. Tavares also performed above or close to these comparables. Let’s take a look.
Table 1. Table comparing the 2024–25 regular season point totals between John Tavares and his comparables.
| Player | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Tavares | 75 | 38 | 36 | 74 |
| Brock Nelson | 80 | 26 | 30 | 56 |
| Matt Duchene | 82 | 30 | 52 | 82 |
In goals and assists, Tavares vastly outperforms Nelson. While not quite as proficient as Duchene, scoring eight fewer points, I argue that the goal differential makes Tavares more valuable. That’s not to take anything away from Duchene, but generally, goals are more important than assists.
Regardless, Tavares is worth more than $4.34M, and the fact that he took such a hometown discount is one of the reasons why he’s beloved in Leafs Nation.
How he plays the game
The other thing fans love about Tavares is how he plays the game. He is dubbed the “little thing King” for a reason. He is strong along the boards and never takes a shift off. He is responsible at both ends of the ice, something the Leafs’ forwards haven’t been to start the year.
The 3–2 overtime winning goal by William Nylander against the St. Louis Blues is a good example of Tavares’ work ethic. The goal is all thanks to Tavares being a dog and winning the board battle against three Blues players, which gave Nylander time to get into position and score.
But it’s his consistency in his career that stands out.
As a Leaf, Tavares has never had a full 82-game regular season below 60 points. The only season where he scored 50 points was in 2020–21, the COVID season, which was shortened to 56 games. Extrapolating to 82 games, Tavares’ stat line for that year would have been 28 goals, 45 assists for 73 points.
So far this season, Tavares has 11 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 20 games. Over 82 games, this works out to 47 goals, 57 assists and 104 points. Tavares, who is 35 years old, is on pace for his best NHL season in his career by a country mile. He is turning back the clock.
All of this in a season where he is not playing with Mitch Marner. A season where the Leafs are 9–9–2 through 20 games. Obviously, Tavares’ shooting percentage will likely regress as the season goes on. But with the decline of Auston Matthews last year, and so far this season, Tavares is leading the way.
Embodiment of culture
While Tavares can be a bit monotone in interviews, he never complains or blames others for poor play. Instead, he takes responsibility. It’s how he conducts himself both on and off the ice that explains why he was the captain of the New York Islanders and the Leafs for five seasons.
Out of the “Core Four” in Toronto, Tavares probably had the biggest moment. Tavares scored the 2–1 overtime goal in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022–23, sending the Leafs to the second round for the first time since 2004. A big player showed up when it mattered, which is more than what the other superstars on the team can say.
But the mere fact that he took less than half of what he’s worth to stay in Toronto speaks volumes. At this point, Tavares has an estimated $116.5M career earnings. He doesn’t need any more. He wants to win, and he wants to win with the Leafs. He works hard, plays the game how Berube wants, produces big offensive numbers, and bleeds blue and white. He’s the embodiment of culture that other Leaf players need to adopt. I argue that with all that he’s done and how he acts, he’s still the captain.
But will Toronto waste his vintage performance this season? They’re on track to do so, and if they do, it will be a shame. But one thing is for certain: Tavares has lived up to the expectations since coming to Toronto, and is outperforming his current contract so far.
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