Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Toronto Maple Leafs: John Tavares Will Win the Art Ross

By Hunter Eitel

TORONTO, ON - JULY 1 -John Tavares speaks to the media in the Leafs dressing room.The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed John Tavares for seven years, $77 million. July 1, 2018. (Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 1 -John Tavares speaks to the media in the Leafs dressing room.The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed John Tavares for seven years, $77 million. July 1, 2018. (Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

It seems like only yesterday that John Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Easily the highlight of the offseason, the signing of Tavares drove Toronto Maple Leafs fans into a frenzy. The Leafs became the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup, and expectations for the team were higher than ever. Even higher are the expectations for Tavares’ performance with the team.

Tavares is one of the best centers in the NHL. 621 career points over 669 games, with 213 coming on the power play, a 3.1% relative Corsi.  The numbers don’t lie. But coming from a mediocre New York Islanders squad to the Maple Leafs, a team with playoff aspirations who plays in the most stressful and scrutinizing hockey market in the league, fans will no doubt be watching to see if Tavares is worth the hype and money.

Rest assured, John Tavares is not going to disappoint. In fact, his first season with the Maple Leafs will bring him something that has alluded him so far in his career…

The Art Ross Trophy.

Long Live The (Scoring) King

As you’re probably aware, Tavares was with the Islanders for the first nine years of his NHL career. During his tenure, Tavares never recorded a 90 point season. His career high is 86, coming during the 2014-2015 season on a line with Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey, who finished with 51 and 41 points, respectively. Last year, Tavares finished with 84 points in 82 games on an Islanders squad that missed the playoffs.

Not saying the members of the Islanders organization weren’t fine players, but Tavares’ prospective line-mates in Toronto blow both of them out of the water.

It’s impossible to know who his linemates will be with training camp still over a month away, but with options such as Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Andreas Johnsson, Patrick Marleau and Kasperi Kapanen, Tavares will have no shortage of great options.

Regardless of linemates, the biggest factor in Tavares racking up tons of points will be Auston Matthews.  Perhaps the most dangerous 1-2 punch in the NHL, Matthews and Tavares will force teams to choose between covering them with their best players.  For both of them, this should result in some easier minutes than they’ve been accustomed to and help build their point totals accordingly.

Next. Every First Round Picks the Leafs Made in the 2000s. dark

No matter combination, John Tavares will have all he needs to win the scoring title this year. With his skill along with line-mates who will keep up with his speed and agility and plenty of time on what will be a deadly power play, Tavares is going to have no problems racking up assists and putting the puck in the back of the net for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Home/Analysis