Toronto Maple Leafs: Dispelling The Tavares Excuses

John Tavares has reportedly whittled down his list of team suitors to 6, with the Toronto Maple Leafs being one of them.

In the midst of the #TavaresWatch2018 madness, one nagging suspicion has hovered throughout. That being the feeling of this story being headed down a path whose end is fraught with anti-climax.

It cannot be ignored. How could it?

Hockey remains the most boring of the 4 major sports, at least from an off-ice drama perspective. By all accounts, Tavares will very likely re-sign with the Islanders, wasting the remainder of his once-promising career on a perennial playoff bubble team.

Or, will he?

The report upon which everyone has built their takes describes Tavares as a notoriously loyal guy. And yet, here we are. Hours from free agency’s commencement with Johnny T still sitting on the fence.

That should give us some hope, at least.

Alas, as seems to always be the case, pessimism enters the fray. In hockey, whenever an earth-shaking event carries with it the potential of occurring, legions of contrarians seep from the woodwork, armed to the teeth with reasons that detail why this event actually won’t happen.

This phenomenon has been unrelentingly prevalent in the Tavares Sweepstakes™, with particular emphasis on his odds of signing with the Leafs. Let’s just, for one single moment, have some fun.

Is that too much to ask?

So, I’ve taken it upon myself to dispell a few of the pillars these naysayers stand on. If JT opts against signing in Toronto, you can’t blame it on any of these.

Signing Tavares Will Anger Auston Matthews

I’m going to hit you all with some factual knowledge. Now, what I’m about to say is pretty out there, so bear with me if you please. Everyone cool? Ok, here it goes:

NHL teams can, in fact, possess more than one good player.

Crazy, I know. No one tell Edmonton.

The idea that if the Leafs signed John Tavares it would irk Auston Matthews is sheer lunacy. Yes, egos do indeed factor heavily into the culture structure of sports. Although, how many times have we seen the “Please Like My Sport” junkies lean on the “um, hockey is better because it’s a team sport. Unlike those other selfish sports.” crutch?

To answer that, roughly 3 trillion.

If that sentiment is truly what you believe, then you can’t have it both ways. Hockey players can’t be slobbered over for installing a culture that encourages teammates to work only towards the betterment of their team, while simultaneously being perceived as individuals likely to get their feathers ruffled on the chance another star player joins the fray.

It can’t be both. Pick one.

Regardless of league or nationality, the superseding goal of any sport is to win. Plain and simple. If not, then enduring the gruelling playing schedule, travel time and physical toll accompanying professional sports would be utterly pointless.

Bottom line, Tavares signing in Toronto instantly grants the Leafs a markedly better chance of winning. And, if that happens to annoy a portion of the locker room, maybe we should be focusing on moving guys out rather than bringing them in.

The Leafs Would Have to Trade Nylander or Marner if They Signed Tavares

I would pay good money to find out just what exactly William Nylander did to personally offend a large portion of Toronto’s hockey media.

Hate to burst a bubble here, but Willy’s not getting traded.

Not only will teams need to pry him from the cold, dead hands of Kyle Dubas, but asserting that Tavares would inevitably force Willy out due to salary reasons just does not follow. Will the Leafs be pretty tight against the cap when the Big Three eventually ink their extensions? Heck yeah. But, can they successfully fit all four, including JT, snuggly under the cap? You betcha.

To do so, they’ll need to be creative. But, it’s absolutely possible. And let’s not forget that the Leafs will tap the guy who literally wrote the CBA to handle this case. If anyone can make this work, it’s Brandon Pridham.

Thanks to the final years of their young guns’ ELC’s, the Leafs are loaded with cap space for 2018-19. And, despite the impending wave of salary on its way, they’ll be able to clear cap space the following season as well.

Patrick Marleau gets paid a sizeable signing bonus on July 1st, 2019, meaning from there on out he becomes a far more attractive trade target to teams seeking to hit cap floor. Right there, that’s $6.25 million off the books.

That same summer, Jake Gardiner and Ron Hainsey are both set to hit the UFA market. Yes, losing Gardiner would be a tough pill to swallow. Although, by then, hope is that Travis Dermott has continued along his trajectory and taken multiple steps forward, while Timothy Liljegren has proven ready for prime time.

Just like that, $7.05 million of cap space opens up.

Again, this isn’t to say it will be simple. Rather, it can indeed work. The Leafs have the means of making this happen without being forced into needlessly selling off pieces of their young core.

Taxes

Nothing spices up sports coverage quite like some scintillating tax talk.

Ah, taxes. Perhaps the most popular Tavares-related take to emerge in recent days posits that teams such as the Sharks and Lightning possess an inside edge on Tavares thanks to the absence of income tax in their respective states.

By all accounts, it’s a fair point. No one likes paying taxes, and living in a state that’s free of them is undeniably appealing. Although, only focusing on the tax implications of Tavares’ situation ignores other, equally important factors in the process. Aside from Marc-Antoine Godin’s fantastic post detailing the ways in which Canadian players can manoeuvre around the nation’s tax structure, another factor of great significance remains in play.

Namely, sponsorships.

With all due respect to the hockey markets of San Jose and Tampa Bay, Tavares is guaranteed to attract far more endorsement deals were he to land in Toronto than anywhere else.

Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

The guy would be plastered on every building within a 10-kilometre radius of the Air Canada Cen-…Scotiabank Arena. He’d be inescapable.

Obviously, we’re dealing entirely in hypotheticals here. With that said, it’s not a stretch to posit that the money Tavares earns via endorsements would more than make up for whatever he’s set to forfeit in taxes. And if he won a Cup? Forget about it. He’d never pay for anything ever again.

Now, this all hinges on whether being a marketable figure is something Tavares actually wants. Anyone who knows JT describes him as both a quiet and reserved individual. Toronto’s overwhelming media and corporate demands which accompany the market might work to dissuade him from landing here.

Regardless, the fact remains that taxes wouldn’t be an issue for unless JT makes them one.

Next: Kyle Dubas, The Trade Down Guy

Thanks for reading!