When John Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs back during the summer of 2018, he had only one thing in mind. That was to fulfill his childhood dreams to play for his hometown and lead the Maple Leafs to a Stanley Cup title.
Tavares has sure done all he could during the past seven seasons with Toronto, posting three 35+ goals and four 70+ points campaigns while being part of the now-defunct “core four” along with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander to lead the offensive attack. In doing so, the Leafs made the playoffs in each of the seasons that Tavares has been with Toronto, but hasn’t advanced beyond the second round to date.
As a result, Tavares still had some unfinished business to deal with to complete his dream, the dream of finally reaching the Holy Grail with the players and fans that he cared for the most. With that in mind, the 35-year-old star veteran took on a surprising team-friendly deal this past offseason to help give the Maple Leafs the financial flexibility to continue to field a competitive team going forward, even without the services of Marner any longer. So then what does Tavares have in store for Toronto fans?
What did we see from Tavares last season?
If last year was any indication of how Tavares will continue to perform in the upcoming years, then the Leafs will be in for a real treat. He certainly proved doubters wrong during the 2024-25 NHL season where many had expected his game to drop off a bit as he ages. But instead, Tavares bounced back from a down 2023-24 campaign by posting 38 goals and 36 assists for 74 points in 75 games played, re-establishing his point-per-game production that he had been renowned for throughout his career. In addition, he added another five goals during the Stanley Cup playoffs to help the Leafs reach the second round, but only to fall to the Florida Panthers once again.
Nevertheless, Tavares’ superb play anchoring the Maple Leafs’ so-called 1B or second line gave opposing teams nightmares in terms of matchups, as they had to deal with Matthews and company on the top line as well.
What should we expect from Tavares this season?
With Tavares known to be an avid player in keeping himself fit and in game shape, one should expect more of the same production once again this upcoming 2025-26 NHL season. Nylander will be back as his partner in crime for another season while Bobby McMann will likely round out the unit as the grinder on the line for loose puck battles.
Look for Tavares to top 30 goals for a second consecutive season while scoring at a point-per-game pace. In addition, we should see him take upon a more important role on the power play now without plays running through Marner for the first time since Tavares joined the Leafs. But don’t expect the 35-year-old center to take upon any penalty killing roles with Marner gone as defense still isn’t his number one specialty.
Overall, although Tavares is no longer the team captain, it sure feels that he still acts like one by putting his team first during contract negotiations. With the elite numbers that he recorded during the final season of his previous contract, he easily could have made a lot more money with another team. That was further amplified when there was a lack of high quality offensive players available by the time free agency season actually opened this past offseason. Consequently, with Tavares and his passion and dedication for Toronto, he has put the Leafs in a position where they can remain legitimate contenders for the foreseeable future. As for Tavares, he will hope to bring the Cup back finally to where it belongs.