John Tavares Searching for 500th Goal

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares is one goal away from a milestone. His next goal will be the 500th goal of his NHL career. It took him 17 years to get to this point. He will try to reach his milestone on Wednesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Tavares is in his eighth season with the Maple Leafs. He’s registered five goals and eight assists for 13 points through ten games. Not bad for a 35-year-old player who gets underrated treatment every season. He has 506 points in 525 games with his hometown team. I know his teammates can’t wait to celebrate the milestone with him, especially long-time linemate William Nylander.

The Maple Leafs are coming off a win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. With 11 points on the season, the Maple Leafs are sitting third in the Atlantic Division. A win over the Blue Jackets would help inch them closer to the Detroit Red Wings (14 points) and Montreal Canadiens (16 points). A win tonight would be icing on the cake if it happens to be the same night Tavares gets his 500th goal.

It means a lot to John Tavares to be a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite some injuries, he performed better than expected during the length of his first contract. He registered 493 points in 515 games during his first seven years with the team. He made $11 million a season during his seven-year contract. Now, Tavares is on a much more team-friendly deal worth $4.38 million a season. He shows no signs of slowing down his offensive production.

John Tavares Has More Milestones Approaching

Tavares is just six games away from playing in his 1,200th NHL regular-season game. If he can stay healthy, this milestone will happen on Sunday, November 9th, on home ice in Toronto against the Carolina Hurricanes. Only 136 players have played 1,200 games in the NHL’s history. As he climbs the list of games played and keeps producing the way he does, Tavares is closer to an even bigger milestone.

There is a big milestone in Tavares’ future, but it remains unknown whether he’ll reach it this season or next. That milestone is 1,200 points. To reach it this season, he would need to register another 73 points. Not completely out of the question, but it would require Tavares finishing the season with at least 86 points. Something he hasn’t done in Toronto since he registered 88 points during the 2018-19 season. His first season with the Maple Leafs.

Reaching 500 career goals and 1,200 games played will be special milestone moments. Should he find a way to achieve all three by getting to 1,200 points, awesome. No matter what, the 2025-26 season is a big season for John Tavares. With three years left on his contract after this season, there will be more milestones in the future. I hope Maple Leafs fans will give him the credit he deserves and celebrate his upcoming milestones. The former team captain has given a lot to this team, and he is a pleasure to watch.