At 35, Maple Leafs forward John Tavares is producing like a $9M player while making less than half of that amount.

Indeed, when the 35-year-old became the 49th player in NHL history to reach the 500-goal plateau against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 29, there was very little reason to celebrate. Nor was he about to. Even with his milestone moment, the Maple Leafs were still trailing the Blue Jackets 6-2 in a game Toronto would end up losing 6-3.

The Toronto Maple Leafs honored forward John Tavares before Wednesday's game against the Utah Mammoth for reaching the 500-goal milestone in his NHL career. The 35-year-old reached the mark on Oct. 29 in a loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Target John Tavares' shots on goal prop for today's pick, odds & expert predictions for Bruins vs. Maple Leafs on Saturday.

John Tavares scored his 499th NHL goal on a breakaway at 1:28 of overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Saturday night to end a three-game losing streak

The celebration of John Tavares’s 500th NHL goal was a lot more memorable for the hometown favourite than the scoring play itself. Tavares barely acknowledged the milestone last week in Columbus, a third-period afterthought in a 6-3 loss.

TORONTO -- On the night John Tavares was honored for scoring his 500th NHL goal, his 501st broke a tie at 8:06 of the third period to help the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Utah Mammoth 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.

Despite the defeat, Tavares’ 500th goal solidified his place among the NHL’s most accomplished scorers and in Maple Leafs history. The former captain joined Mats Sundin (564) as the only players in history to score their 500th tally while playing for the Leafs.