John Tavares needs to be paired on Auston Matthews’ wing if the Toronto Maple Leafs are to get the most out of him this season.
It’s amazing to think that John Tavares’ seven-year, $77 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs is almost over. Not too long ago, on Canada Day, he shocked the hockey world by signing with his local team, but now look at us.
Even if he may not be the same player as he was in the first year of his contract, Tavares is still a good player. His speed has always been the most important component as he gets older, so I believe it’s time for him to switch from center to wing.
Tavares’s choice to switch to the wing for the 2024–25 season makes sense because his slowed pace will make it more difficult for him to defend.
Tavares’ switch to the wing exposes the Leafs’ center position, as Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, and David Kampf could now fill in as the 2C, 3C, and 4C, respectively. Those four would not be a consistent force to win games in the spring, which would be a major blow to the forward group. But by shifting Tavares to the wing, Mitch Marner or William Nylander should be able to go to the center.
Move to Matthews Wing, Tavares
The club still needs to improve at 3C and 4C, but that move would be very beneficial to the squad as a whole. Otherwise, they would have to trade for a bottom-six center or hope that Fraser Minten can handle the position on the team.
Anyhow, let’s get back to Matthews and Tavares. Matthews is a past Hart Trophy winner who scored 69 goals in the previous campaign. It shouldn’t matter who is on your wing every night if you can score goals in the NHL at a clip that approaches one per game. Matthews is so excellent that even with Ryan Reaves and Pontus Holmberg as his wingers every night, he should still be able to score forty goals.
Consequently, the Leafs are spared from using Nylander’s or Marner’s elite skill when partnered with Matthews. Rather, they ought to consider bringing up Tavares’ stats in addition to Matthews by selecting a lesser player. While Tavares is more of a goal scorer, he can also act as a playmaker for Matthews, much like Marner and Nylander.
Being one of the brightest players in the game, Tavares had seven seasons with 40 or more assists in the NHL. If he needs to concentrate on getting Matthews the puck, he will. When combined with his ability to shoot goals in the crease and drive the net, Tavares has the potential to be a player who scores 30–40 goals and scores 80 points or more.
This Leafs squad might be a lot of fun this season if you added a youthful line of Nick Robertson, Max Domi, and Easton Cowan to go along with the dynamic pair of Marner and Nylander on the second line, which would drive the opposition insane.
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