2022-2023 Toronto Maple Leafs Player Grades: Part 3

Toronto Maple Leafs Grades #1. John Tavares

Stats with the Leafs:

Regular Season:

Games Played: 80

Goals: 36

Assists: 44

Playoffs:

Games Played: 11

Goals: 4

Assists: 4

Contract Status:

Signed through 2024-25 (capfriendly.com).

Overall Thoughts:

When the Leafs traded for Ryan O’Reilly, it gave Head Coach Sheldon Keefe more flexibility for line combinations. One of the first moves he made was to switch Tavares to the wing and put O’Reilly on the same line as the center.

It was something, Keefe said, that the team had discussed for quite some time. Tavares, for his part, had no external issues with the decision. Always a stoic, professional leader, Tavares kept his head up and took his top-10 faceoff percentage to become a left winger.

The move did not last long. O’Reilly ended up playing down the middle on the third-line for most of his tenure and into the playoffs except for late in games when the Leafs needed to stack their top six.

But, the true meaning behind that move was obvious: Tavares looks like he’s slowing down in his early thirties. He has never been considered fast and his defensive game is mostly solid, but even a watered down version of the Toronto captain is as consistent as ever. He’s been a point-a-game producer since his rookie season.

Tavares’ production, for a second-line center, is robust (let’s take his salary out of the discussion) and he excels on the power-play. Tavares scored a team high 18 goals with the man advantage in 2022-23 with many coming in front of the net, where many players won’t go.

Some might not love how much he makes per year and believe the contract ex-General Manager Kyle Dubas gave him hinders the team in adding value players, but Tavares’ overall play is still strong. Plus, even though fans want to see more passion from him (watch the series-clinching overtime goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning again!), Tavares does bring many intangibles that make the Leafs a better team. (stats nhl.com).