The Toronto Maple Leafs have an unfortunate number of playoff runs that have ended in despair over the past decade, but John Tavares is responsible for one of the few playoff moments fans can look back on in a positive light. In Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022-23, he scored the overtime-winning goal to send the Leafs to the second round for the first time since 2004. Obviously, it didn’t end the way anyone was hoping for, but to score a goal like that for a franchise that hadn’t been there in 19 years will give you some serious credit.

Tavares was set to become a free agent following the 2024-25 season, but it was obvious from early on that both parties wanted to come to an agreement to keep Tavares in Toronto. And, before the contract was signed, our contributor Jon Steitzer made the case to bring back Tavares, and it was one of our most clicked-on articles of 2025. Below is an excerpt from that article.

And, in the end, Jon had the prediction on the money. The Leafs ended up signing Tavares for well-below market value, on a four-year contract worth $4.38 million annually, which all but sets the stage for Tavares to spend the rest of his career as a Leaf.

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