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Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: Signing John Tavares

By Mike Stephens

TORONTO, ON - JULY 1 -(L-R) John Tavares and general manager Kyle Dubas smile during the press conference.The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed John Tavares for seven years, $77 million. July 1, 2018. (Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 1 -(L-R) John Tavares and general manager Kyle Dubas smile during the press conference.The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed John Tavares for seven years, $77 million. July 1, 2018. (Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – JULY 1 –(L-R) John Tavares and general manager Kyle Dubas smile during the press conference.The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed John Tavares for seven years, $77 million.July 1, 2018. (Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – JULY 1 –(L-R) John Tavares and general manager Kyle Dubas smile during the press conference.The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed John Tavares for seven years, $77 million.July 1, 2018. (Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed John Tavares.

Writing that sentence still doesn’t feel real. Honestly, it probably never will.

Adding Tavares to a centre group already featuring Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri is a move so good, it defies comprehension. In an instant, the Leafs’ depth at centre upgraded their status from “troubling organizational need” to “bountiful surplus”.

It’s hard to picture any team, save for the Pittsburgh Penguins, being able to match it.

With that said, holes lower in the lineup are still present. As everyone likes to mention, defence remains an area of weakness, one which Kyle Dubas is likely working his tail off to address with each passing day.

Keeping that in mind, Tavares’ homecoming posits a question. A question I think would be perfect for this week’s roundtable. This week, I tasked the EIL staff with answering the question:

Does signing John Tavares make the Leafs Cup contenders? 

The answers may shock you. Or they won’t. I can’t tell you how to feel.

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