Among the player group, a central target in the fan and media criticism was John Tavares. In some ways, it comes with the territory as the captain in the Toronto market, not to mention the $11 million annual salary. Despite scoring 47 goals in his first season with the team before following it up with 60 points in 63 games the next year, his play and contract were called into question.
It’s early, but Tavares is working to put many of those concerns to bed.
He’s tied for second on the team in points with seven in seven games, tied for first in goals with four (all of which have come on the power play), and sits second in shots on goal.