Daily Faceoff breaks down John Tavares’ Hall of Fame case heading into important 25-26 season

Is John Tavares destined for the Hockey Hall of Fame?

The 35-year-old Toronto Maple Leaf already has an impressive resume to his name, with 1114 points in 1184 games played and a four-year contract in ink that will take him to a two-decade career if he sees it through. Closing in on 500 career goals this year and having served long tenures as captain for two different teams, there’s an argument to be made.

Of course, Tavares’ career isn’t over, and that’s why these next years may prove crucial. On Wednesday, Daily Faceoff’s Paul Pidutti took a look at 10 future HOF candidates who will need a strong 2025-26 season to prove they deserve to be immortalized in hockey history. On Tavares, he writes:

In January, I waxed poetic on J.T.’s strong Hall of Fame case. He’s since finished a 38-goal season and signed a four-year extension. But there’s this: Tavares polled at 13% in June. That’s an eye-opening level of Hall of Fame disapproval for a player nearing 500 goals, especially one who played his 20s in low-scoring times. But it tells us that Tavares’ Hall of Fame spot is far from secure. Will he need 600 goals or a credible postseason résumé to silence any doubts? Will he have to wait a long time like comparable forwards Jeremy Roenick, Pierre Turgeon, and Daniel Alfredsson? At 35, popping out a few more 30-goal years and playing a prominent role beyond the second round (yes, it exists, Leafs fans) could be the cherry on top of the low-fat, no-sprinkles vanilla sundae that is Tavares’ exceptional career.

Ignoring that unsubtle dig at Toronto’s playoff troubles, Pidutti raises a good point that Tavares has a strong case to eventually make it, but will need to do something more to accelerate that process. As the stars seem to align for the Maple Leafs this season, a deep playoff run is certainly the first step to that. Having stepped up as one the team’s leading goalscorers in the postseason last year, he’s shown he can be a playoff performer when it matters most.

In The Leafs Nation’s August player expectation series, our own Michael Mazzei wrote that for Tavares, a slight downturn on the scoresheet is expected this season as his age begins to show. Still, that’s what people said about him last season, and he outperformed most expectations. Crucial this year will be continuing to be that surprise player when he can, and even if his numbers dip slightly, keep contributing across all facets of the game as he’s been known to do.