John Tavares is as guilty as anyone for disappearing in the playoffs. He had his two goal game in Game Three against the Panthers that gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a chance to go up 3-0 in the series, but aside that performance, he was off the scoresheet in every other game against the Panthers, was a minus four in the series (including minus three in Game Seven), and didn’t find the scoresheet in the final two games against the Senators as well, a series where he was a minus two. Tavares didn’t show up when it mattered, and moving on from him is a very real possibility because of that, except centre depth makes it hard to do so.

John Tavares wants to be back. During the media availability, he stated, “It’s an incredible place to play. Incredible fanbase. I love this team and so badly want to see it win. When it happens here again, it’s going to be something pretty remarkable, and you want to be a part of that.”

He’s also spoken about his early conversations with the Leafs on making it happen,

“There’s still [some] decisions to be made,” Tavares said. “I had some positive conversations with [Treliving] and [Berube] today, and I’m very optimistic that it can work out where I’m back.”

So, is it a good idea?

Tavares is not the centre he was when the Leafs signed him. Seven years ago, he was a player you could trust in almost any situation. Now, he’s approaching Max Domi levels of sheltering. The notion of the Leafs having an intimidating one-two punch up the middle has eroded, and instead, the Leafs have a good complementary goal scorer to play with Nylander and a strong powerplay option with Tavares. Considering he’ll be 35 at the start of the next season, further steps back should be expected, even if his regular-season production was far beyond what could have reasonably been expected this year.

The Leafs moving on from Tavares leaves Toronto with Matthews, Domi, Holmberg, Laughton, and Kampf as centre options, with Lorentz also somewhat capable, and Jacob Quillan potentially worth a look in a fourth-line role next season. No matter how you slice that, there are huge gaps to consider given that Domi clearly belongs on the wing, and the rest are all best suited to the fourth line at this point. Filling two centre vacancies is a challenge in any season, but the unrestricted free agency market isn’t going to do the Maple Leafs any favours.

Sam Bennett is equal parts the best available centre and the biggest grenade in free agency. He unquestionably has a lot to add as the Maple Leafs have experienced firsthand how disruptive he can be, but the scoresheet matters too, and Bennett crossed the 50-point threshold for the first time in his career this season, he’s never been a 30-goal scorer, and if we’re applying the lack of big game production criteria to the current Leafs, Bennett was held pointless in the final two games of the series against the Leafs, and in the final two games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.

That’s not to say that Bennett is bad; it’s just that the narrative around him is going to require a ransom to be paid, and if the Leafs are freeing themselves of limiting contracts, jumping into a similar situation would be less than ideal. Given that Bennett didn’t exactly have the best time under Brad Treliving the first go around, it’s possible that Sam will look at other options.

Looking beyond Sam Bennett in the centre market, it starts looking a lot like the trade deadline market. Yanni Gourde, Brock Nelson, and Ryan Donato would be the headliners, and all seem better fits as third-line centres. Other options like Claude Giroux, Jamie Benn, and Matt Duchene aren’t likely to move and would come with similar concerns that exist with Tavares. That doesn’t mean that the Leafs can’t find a trade; buyouts and unqualified RFAs can’t create a bigger market, or that someone like Bennett will be cheaper than expected, but Tavares wanting to be a Leaf and the market being limited should keep Johnny Toronto on the Leafs’ radar.

The issue with Tavares might be less about the player itself and more about the Leafs’ centre depth, which is again an argument for not doing further damage to it. Matthews, Tavares, and Laughton seem like three quarters of a decent centre depth chart, but the problem is that the Leafs need to go into addressing the position from the perspective of adding someone who bumps Tavares down the depth chart, not someone who slots in behind him, like they did when Laughton was acquired. Unless the Maple Leafs believe they can find two centres that represent an upgrade to the position that will come in cheaper than running back Tavares, it might not make sense to move on from him.

Any kind of meaningful centre acquisition is easier said than done, so again, keeping Tavares makes sense.

It is understandable to want to move on from the core at large. I suspect Leafs fans with nothing but time on their hands until the draft (or really free agency) will discuss the merits of moving on from every player on the roster at some point or another. There is also the matter of whether the Leafs are comfortable with taking a temporary step back in the 2025-26 season instead of just chasing down the best available options over the summer. There is something to be said for future flexibility.

All that said, Tavares will likely take an under-market value deal to stay in Toronto. If they use term, it could be very reasonable for the Leafs while taking some pressure off of Tavares, as he’d know where he’d play the rest of his career. With $26M to work with this summer on six roster openings, which include re-signing Matthew Knies and either re-signing or replacing Mitch Marner, a value deal on second or third line centre is too good to pass up, and the Leafs can look to make upgrades in other ways than Tavares.