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Maple Leafs Center Named Second Star of Month

One Toronto Maple Leafs center is defying Father Time.

Jon Alfano

Mar 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) celebrates after scoring in the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) celebrates after scoring in the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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After last season, it looked like time was finally catching up to Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares.

Tavares, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, scored just 65 points (29 goals, 36 assists) in 80 games on the year, one of the lower totals throughout his career. He then gave up the captaincy to Auston Matthews, and with just one year left on his deal, it looked like his days in Toronto could be numbered.

This season, though, Tavares has miraculously turned back the clock. The 34-year-old has already surpassed last season's point total with 69 (35 goals, 34 assists), and is shooting at a very impressive 19.8 percent. He's also maintained his excellence in the face-off circle, winning 58 percent of his draws on the season.

Tavares was incredibly impressive throughout March, as he scored 20 points (13 goals, seven assists) in 15 games to help the Maple Leafs rise to the top of the Atlantic Division.

With a performance like that, it's only natural he earned the honor of being the NHL's Second Star of the Month. This is Tavares' third appearance as one of the monthly three stars, and first since January of 2015 when he was still with the New York Islanders.

It's hard to overstate just how impressive Tavares' resurgence has been. Thanks to it, he can expect to earn another big pay day in July, even in his mid-30s. It seems more likely than not that he stays in Toronto, but he'll undoubtedly have a ton of interest if he makes it to the open market.

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel and St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington were the first and third stars of the month, respectively.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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