Tavares' pointless streak for Leafs is longest of his career

For years, Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares was lauded as a model player of consistency in the NHL.

From 2011-12 through 2022-23, Tavares put up a mark every season between 0.86 and 1.12 points per game.

In a league where any player can have an off-year, Tavares never really seemed to stray too high or too low from his expected production year in and year out.

But that time might have finally come for the captain.

As per Hockey Reference, Tavares’ eight games in a row without a point is officially the longest of his career, and he’s operating at a 0.76 points per game mark this season, averaging out to 62 points over an 82-game season.

After this recent blip, he’s officially producing at a rate that’s the second-lowest of his NHL career, only surpassing his rookie season with the New York Islanders in 2009-10.

“No doubt, it is going to come [around] for him,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said following Toronto’s 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday night. “More important than whatever the goals, assists and points might be: John hasn’t cheated for one second. He is not concerned about it.”

Tavares, at age 33, is in year six of a seven-year deal worth $77 million originally signed in Toronto back in 2018. And while one eight-game stretch doesn’t define a season or a career — Tavares has put up 12 goals and 22 assists while averaging 18:19 of ice time this year — concern will only grow if his streak continues.

“John is at a point in his career — as a captain and as a leader on our team — where he knows what is important. He needs to play the right way. He needs to take care of the puck. He needs to have good habits and details,” Keefe added. “For a guy who hasn’t had the production and is getting questions about it, just staying with it and not cheating the system or extending his shifts allows us to be in a position to win a game 2-1, as we did tonight.”

After a four-game trip across Western Canada and Seattle, the Leafs return to action back in Toronto on Wednesday night. They’ll be hosting Winnipeg at 7 pm ET on January 24, before visiting Manitoba on Saturday night for the return leg of a two-game set against the Jets.

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