Is John Tavares starting to slip?

[Strangle]

Likely to see Nylander in the same boat the last couple years of his deal, too

They signed at about the same age

 

[Siludin]

Is he aging?

There have been no confirmed reports

 

[authentic]

Tavares was amazing the first 15 games of the season. I remember thinking he must’ve done power skating lessons or something. Since then he’s been pretty bad though, but I’m sure he’ll bounce back again soon. If not then maybe this is the beginning of his actual decline. Wouldn’t be unheard of at his age and mileage.

 

[SenzZen]

8.2% shooting percentage accounts for much of the discrepancy in PPG.

I thought his contract was a mistake the moment it was signed, but he's not going off a cliff yet.

 

[PaulD]

How's it possible that he's the 7th highest paid player or whatever and Keefe is scared to deploy him in overtime? You would expect your captain to lead the charge and be a game breaker and even take a shootout once in a while.

you would think

 

[sr edler]

Tavares has also benefited lately playing on a line with contract year Willy Nylander who's been driving the creative bus hard. He's great around the net, but he doesn't drive any serious play whatsoever anymore.

 

[Commander Clueless]

PPG centers used to be more impressive.

 

[jcs0218]

Tonight was another game in which Tavares didn't look good.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

lol @ "starting to slip".

He's had one season with the Leafs where you could describe it as "elite" and that was his first year when he scored 47 goals. And even then, he finished something like 12th in the Art Ross race.

Since then he's had a single point per game season despite his "top 5 forward in the league" contract he was given.

 

[RRhoads]

lol @ "starting to slip".

He's had one season with the Leafs where you could describe it as "elite" and that was his first year when he scored 47 goals. And even then, he finished something like 12th in the Art Ross race.

Since then he's had a single point per game season despite his "top 5 forward in the league" contract he was given.

If you compare it to his production on the Islanders, it's pretty much the same.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

If you compare it to his production on the Islanders, it's pretty much the same.

Except it was a lower scoring league back then and he didn't have Matthews, Marner and Nylander to play with.

If you produce at a 75 point pace with Moulson and Parenteau on your wing when league scoring is near Dead Puck Era levels and you continue to produce at a 75 point pace with either Marner or Nylander on your wing and Matthews on the PP in one of the highest scoring eras since the 80's, that's slipping.

 

[RRhoads]

Except it was a lower scoring league back then and he didn't have Matthews, Marner and Nylander to play with.

If you produce at a 75 point pace with Moulson and Parenteau on your wing when league scoring is near Dead Puck Era levels and you continue to produce at a 75 point pace with either Marner or Nylander on your wing and Matthews on the PP in one of the highest scoring eras since the 80's, that's slipping.

Yeah, those are good points.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Best Captain in the league. Definitely worth that contract.

 

[shaner82]

JT is maybe slipping a little, but he is who he is. He's not far off his typical numbers and he's playing like he always has.

That's not a positive thing though. I've never seen a player score a point per game and be so uninspiring and provide so little to a team. I always thought he was an elite player. When they signed him, I loved it. Now I've seen him play for years and I just feel like he brings nothing to the team. Despite the points he gets, I don't feel like he helps them win. He just provides nothing. I can't believe we're stuck with him for another year. I wish they could get rid of him somehow

 

[wetcoast]

Everyone known he's overpaid. That has nothing to do with whether he's slipping or not. It's just a jab at him (or the Leafs) for no good reason.

He's on pace for 70 points, and most people probably had him pegged at around 75-ish. I don't think that's a slip - but eevn if you think it is - it's not a threadworthy one. If he ends the season with 65pts over a full season, then we can start talking...

Even 65 point doesn't mean that he slipped his actual ES scoring is on par the PPP are off.

He is aging pretty normally.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

He’s following a pretty typical path. I honestly thought that given his skating he’d be even worse.
It should make us all appreciate what Crosby is doing at his age all the more. Of course Crosby is and always was at a completely different level and the generational players tend to age much better than the others.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

He's been a point per game guy since he came to the Leafs and on an even better level goals-wise. He's slid a little this season but by every conceivable measure, he lived up to his end of the bargain. Everyone knew Tavares was being paid for the first few years of that contract and he'd decline later on. In my opinion, he's exceeded expectations. Leafs let him down, not vice-versa.

 

[WarriorofTime]

He’s following a pretty typical path. I honestly thought that given his skating he’d be even worse.
It should make us all appreciate what Crosby is doing at his age all the more. Of course Crosby is and always was at a completely different level and the generational players tend to age much better than the others.

Nobody:

WetcoastOrca: this just shows the greatness of Sidney Crosby

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

He’s a career 75 pt player who is being paid like a franchise forward. Good but not a great player.

 

[JAK]

In some sense, he is the perfect captain of the Leafs, shows promise, never spectacular, always there, but doesn't move the needle.

He will get a new contract and retire as Leafs captain, $5m x 4 years, NMC. It will sell jerseys and, and that's what is important to the organization.

 

[Matty Sundin]

This has been what he is for a few years now. Middle of the seasons he is sometimes painful to watch as his body slows down this part of the season. I expect he’ll get a second wind down the road.

 

[KevinRedkey]

Even 65 point doesn't mean that he slipped his actual ES scoring is on par the PPP are off.

He is aging pretty normally.

Fair point.

 

[PromisedLand]

lol @ "starting to slip".

He's had one season with the Leafs where you could describe it as "elite" and that was his first year when he scored 47 goals. And even then, he finished something like 12th in the Art Ross race.

Since then he's had a single point per game season despite his "top 5 forward in the league" contract he was given.

you do know kyle dubas signed that contract and he is now running the pens right?

 

[AvroArrow]

Likely to see Nylander in the same boat the last couple years of his deal, too

They signed at about the same age

Probably not, Tavares was always a very slow skater now with age it's gotten even worse.

He's been a point per game guy since he came to the Leafs and on an even better level goals-wise. He's slid a little this season but by every conceivable measure, he lived up to his end of the bargain. Everyone knew Tavares was being paid for the first few years of that contract and he'd decline later on. In my opinion, he's exceeded expectations. Leafs let him down, not vice-versa.

And I thought I was a Leafs homer

 

[Darcy Tucker]

That's a strange take that his team of top level scoring forwards let him down when he's the captain and supposed leader and led us to nothing but being a playoff meme. They even paid for vets to surround him with like Marleau and Thorton though they were horrible and brought in Gio and Muzzin and did every bit of maneuvering they could do to find something and nothing worked. Maybe JT should take some responsibility for the lack of success and just leave town after his contract. I literally don't see the point in retaining him without the ppg production , he offers no intangibles.