John Tavares’ Consistent Production a Hallmark for Maple Leafs

As the Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled in the win/loss columns lately, a handful of Leafs’ fans have criticized captain John Tavares for a perceived lack of production. But as we saw in Toronto’s 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars Tuesday, Tavares’ production is just fine, thank you very much. Is he going to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top point-getter? Is he going to appear on highlight reels? No and no. But to appreciate what Tavares brings to the table is to acknowledge the things that don’t show up on a scoresheet, yet that make a team tougher to play against.

Is Tavares especially hard on the puck? Is he one of the few Leafs who put their bodies in front of an opponent’s net and stay there? Yes and yes. Those are good things, and it’s no coincidence Toronto’s game was never the same after Tavares was injured in the first game of the first round last year. The example he sets, and the safe-but-smart elements of his game are not easily replaced.

And certainly, while his offensive gifts pale a bit in comparison to teammates Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Tavares’ game in a macro sense is stunningly consistent. This season – and after his one-goal, two[-point game against the Stars – Tavares has 20 goals and 57 points in 59 games. In 56 games last year, he had 19 goals and 50 points. The year before that, he had 26 goals and 60 points in 63 games. The year before that, he had 88 points in 82 games.

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Starting to notice a pattern here? If there’s a better example of a point-per-game player in the NHL today, we haven’t heard of one. Now, is that production worth Tavares’ $11-million salary? You can make a good case teams often get that kind of output for cheaper, but the attractiveness of Tavares is that you know exactly what you’re getting from him. Along with Matthews, he has given the Leafs their best look down the middle in years. Is that worth a combined $22.6 million? It’s safe to say Toronto management feels that way.

In the grand scheme of things, did they overpay for Tavares? Maybe, but if the Leafs win a couple of rounds in this coming post-season, extremely few people will be complaining about Tavaes’ salary. Winning a Stanley Cup remains a long-term process for the vast majority of teams, and that process remains in its early stages in Toronto. That’s not Tavares’ fault. It’s to his credit he wanted to take on the pressure of playing in his hometown. And he shows no sign of buckling under it. He wants to be part of the solution here, and that’s admirable.

The Leafs have Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander to provide the flash to their game. Tavares is incredibly skilled, but he’s got a more worker bee mentality. In a market that has always loved blue-collar Leafs players, Tavares’ skill set should endear him to fans a little bit more than it has. Again, maybe that’s because he doesn’t have a blue-collar salary, but Tavares deserves credit for what he brings every night.

If Tavares does go through challenging stretches on offense before the regular season ends, don’t get too concerned – he’ll probably make up for it with a few multi-point games to even things out. He’s contributed a lot already to make the Leafs one of the game’s most potent teams on offense. And there’s every chance he’ll be a difference-maker for Toronto in the post-season games to come.