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What’s Really Happening With the Maple Leafs John Tavares?

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Old Prof | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 3:23 PM ET

Recently, on Overdrive, the panel discussed the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ lack of depth and performance. One note they made was that “John Tavares isn’t the same.”

They weren’t knocking him—far from it. The respect for what he’s done in Toronto and in the league is huge. But hockey fans and insiders alike are pointing out what anyone watching the Maple Leafs can see: Tavares isn’t driving this team the way he once did.

Tavares Isn’t Broken: He’s Just Not the Same Guy He Was

Tavares isn’t irrelevant or anything like that. He’s just not the guy who can drag a team through 82 games anymore. The Maple Leafs around him aren’t the same either — Mitch Marner’s gone, the depth thinned out, and the extra scoring never showed up. He’ll still pop for a stretch here and there, but asking him to carry it all? That’s asking too much now.

There’s also the point about how the Maple Leafs have been built. For many seasons now, Tavares and his fellow stars won games in ways the rest of the roster simply couldn’t. When you rely on something that heavily, there’s no safety net. If one guy cools off, panic sets in quickly.

But on other teams, say the Vegas Golden Knights or even the Buffalo Sabres, if a key player’s out, the rest of the squad can keep moving. The Maple Leafs? Not so much. That’s not all on Tavares — it’s on management, coaching, and the broader roster construction.

The Maple Leafs’ Reality Is Plagued by Nuance

The reality is nuanced. Tavares isn’t broken. He’s still the player who can light up a game. And, on the panel, there was optimism that he’ll come back from the Olympic break refreshed and impactful. But the expectation that he alone can carry a team lacking depth and cohesion over an entire season?

That’s unfair to him. The burden now is more distributed, or it should be. The Maple Leafs need more than flashes from their ex-captain. They need systemic change, smarter line deployments, and a roster that doesn’t crumble when a key veteran is off his peak.

At the end of the day, John Tavares is respected. Still, the Maple Leafs can’t rely on nostalgia or the old core alone. The question isn’t whether he can still play. It’s whether the team around him can step up — and that, for a club chasing a Stanley Cup, is where the real work begins.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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