An inaccurate John Tavares narrative that needs to be put to bed immediately

PUBLICATION

Mike Armenti
June 22, 2024 (4:32 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

John Tavares surrounded by his teammates

Photo credit: Maple Leafs/X

Tavares is not getting any younger. That, we can agree on. However, the narrative that he is no longer a 2nd line player is just patently false. In fact, one analyst, Stephen Brown, believes that puck luck was more to blame for the Leafs captain's down year than anything else.

As Brown points out below, Tavares' points per 60 at 5v5 was in line with some pretty noteworthy names around the National Hockey League:

"I've seen "John Tavares is a 3rd liner" tossed around way too much lately. His points per 60 at 5V5 this season were in line with Larkin, Barzal, Stamkos, Suzuki, Necas, Boeser, Giroux, etc... NONE of those players are 3rd liners. Tavares is still a good 2nd line player.

'Did you watch him in the playoffs?' Yeah, he wasnt good. Lots of good players have bad playoffs. Obviously he's not worth $11M anymore & has fallen off. The gap between elite players and good 2nd liners is big. I think people's perception of what a 2nd liner is super warped."

Tavares has just 1 more year remaining at $11M and then he'll see his cap hit drastically reduced, be it in Toronto or elsewhere, next summer. No, he's probably not an $11M player anymore, but to suggest that he is no longer a 2nd line player is certainly off base, given the actual data.

Tavares notched 65 points and flirted with 30 goals last season, so the dip in his play hasn't been anywhere near as bad as people have made it out to be. In fact, if his linemates were converting on more of their chances, Tavares probably never dips to 65 points at all and we're not even having this conversation.

At any rate, it's something that was worth addressing and I tend to agree with Brown that Tavares' contract is what is responsible for any flak that he gets, because his play certainly doesn't warrant it.

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

A list of important dates for NHL teams this week: The Leafs better be ready

Paul Maurice believes Panthers were screwed by no-goal call in Game 6

William Nylander and Auston Matthews show signs of life: Summer training begins

POLL
22 JUIN \| 1054 ANSWERS An inaccurate John Tavares narrative that needs to be put to bed immediately Do you think John Tavares is still a 2nd line caliber player?
Yes	460	43.6 %
No	432	41 %
Maybe a 2nd line caliber winger. Not a center	162	15.4 %
LIST OF POLLS