Command of consistency helps set Maple Leafs' John Tavares apart
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As an opponent, Steven Lorentz had an idea of what John Tavares might be like as a teammate.
Playing against Tavares in the National Hockey League, Lorentz took mental notes on Tavares’ work ethic and the determination that he displayed whenever Lorentz lined up on the other side.
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Command of consistency helps set Maple Leafs' John Tavares apart Back to video
When Tavares scored his 30th goal of the season on Saturday in Nashville, hitting the milestone for the seventh time in his 16-year NHL career, Lorentz, who is playing with the Maple Leafs on a one-year contract, wasn’t taken aback.
“He’s just a top-notch pro,” Lorentz said after the Leafs practised on Monday at the Ford Performance Centre ahead of their home game on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. “Guys usually tend to taper off as they go up in age, it’s just natural. But he still trains like he is a hungry 19-year-old, first-year player in the league.
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“I’m not shocked at all. He’s one of the most professional people on and off the ice that I’ve had the pleasure of playing with.”
Of the 17 players who scored more goals than Tavares through NHL games on Sunday, just one — Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, who sits seven goals shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 — is older.
In his seven seasons with the Leafs, Tavares has hit 30 goals three times. A year ago, he had 29 goals in 80 games. He has played in 63 games in 2024-25 and, with 12 games remaining in the regular season, Tavares has a legitimate shot at reaching 35. He has done that in just four previous NHL seasons.
What’s more, with 61 points, he’s not far off a point-a-game pace. Two nights before the Leafs lost in Nashville, Tavares passed 1,100 points for his NHL career during the Leafs win in New York against the Rangers.
Anyone who figured that Tavares might have been bothered by relinquishing the captaincy to Auston Matthews wasn’t paying close attention.
As much as Tavares has had to adapt since his NHL rookie year of 2009-10 with the New York Islanders, he’s not mentally hitting the reset button at the start of every season.
“You don’t need to try to always reinvent the wheel or overthink things,” Tavares said. “You put in a good process and especially when I played as long as I have and have the experience that I do, there’s a reason for that.
“But to worry about one specific number or certain numbers, you can get lost in that instead of just focusing on playing well and helping the team.
“With the way I’ve been able to establish myself, results will come, those things will take care of themselves and you continue what you do on a daily basis to put yourself on the right side of it more often than not.”
Of course, it’s not just about impacting the game in one way for Tavares. In each of the past three seasons, he has finished in the top 10 in faceoff-winning percentage and is on the way to doing so again, sitting in eighth before games on Monday at 57.6%.
Coaches in any sport love any player who doesn’t leave any questions unanswered once the game begins. The next time Craig Berube wonders what he might get from Tavares on a specific night would probably be the first time.
For winger Bobby McMann, who is getting a good look on the left wing on the Leafs second line with Tavares and William Nylander, there’s no taking for granted the off-ice guidance that Tavares provides.
“He’s really good at recognizing he type of player that I am and the type of player that Willie is,” McMann said. “He does a good job of not overly complicating things. He’s not expecting us to play like he does, which is great, because I think some guys expect you to make the plays that they make.
“There’s a lot of times I know exactly what he’s talking about, but it’s nice to hear it and understand how we could have generated more,
“How he processes the game, from a cerebral standpoint, he just knows a lot and has had a ton of reps, understanding defenders, understanding where the space is, those sorts of things.”
Tavares can go to unrestricted free agency this summer, but has said several times that his desire is to remain with the Leafs and, ostensibly, finish his career with Toronto.
We’ll find out if, for example, a three-year contract in the range of $7.5-8 million US per season could be the kind of deal that keeps Tavares with his hometown team.
How Tavares continues to prepare and produce are his front-burner issues as the Leafs head into the final 12 games of the regular season.
“My experience and my knowledge are maybe my greatest assets with where I’m currently at, not just for myself, but to help my teammates,” Tavares said. “You trust your game and doing what you’re doing shift after shift.”
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