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2021 Toronto Maple Leafs Regular Season Forward Grades

By James Tanner

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 29: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs gets set to jump onto the ice against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 29, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Oilers defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 29: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs gets set to jump onto the ice against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 29, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Oilers defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON – DECEMBER 4: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche gets set to take the opening faceoff against John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs . (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

John Tavares

Much was made of his early season struggles, but they were really just bad puck luck that led to a low shooting percentage.  Add in a bit of an increased focus on defense  and his point totals were a bit off.

But then he rebounded and finished with 50 points in 56 games,   nearly a point per game.  Tavares in a full season probably finishes somewhere around  35/80 and is also worth every single penny.  He’s the league’s best second line player, he is a great captain and a nice guy who can’t possibly be as boring as his TV interviews suggest.

Signing Tavares is still one of the great moves in NHL history and a reason why Kyle Dubas is destined to go down as the best general manager the Toronto Maple Leafs have ever had.  It’s awesome to watch a great team play every night, it’s even better to know that team is made up of quality humans you can root for.

Tavares is a quietly efficient superstar who is almost underrated these days due to hiding in plain site on a star studded team.  He’s like the U-God or Cappadonna of the Leafs – perhaps overshadowed by the big names, but he just gets it done every single time with a skill level that somehow always catches you off guard.

And if he wasn’t injured two minutes into the Playoffs, this article would be about how the Leafs are on the verge of beating the Golden Knights and winning the Stanley Cup.

. C. . JOHN TAVARES. A

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