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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: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, speaks to the media after he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, at the Scotiabank Arena on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – JULY 1: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, speaks to the media after he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, at the Scotiabank Arena on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Carson Trask

After signing John Tavares on July 1st, the Toronto Maple Leafs are absolutely Stanley Cup contenders.

When Mats Sundin left for Vancouver in 2008, it opened a massive hole at the centre ice position. For as much as some people wanted Tyler Bozak to be that guy, he just wasn’t it. To survive in the NHL, teams simply need to be deep down the middle of the ice.

The problem here is that acquiring elite centres is nearly impossible. Teams have two options. Either be terrible and hope the lottery balls fall their way, or hope another GM makes a mistake and trades one.

In 2016 the Leafs were incredibly lucky. They finished dead last in the league with 69 points, and the ping pong balls fell their way, allowing them to snag Auston Mathews. The following season Colorado was dead last with 48 points and picked fourth in the draft. Nazem Kadri took longer than expected but has since become the best bargain in the NHL following back to back 30 goal seasons.

Which brings us to John Tavares.

You could tell at his introductory press conference that Long Island was special to him. And, if the team wasn’t filled with so much uncertainty he probably would have re-signed well before he hit free agency. The Islanders mediocrity allowed the Leafs to sign the biggest free agent ever.

Luck and a roster of incredible young talent now leave Toronto with the best centre depth in the NHL. Either Mathews or Tavares will match up with second pairing D on any given night, leaving Kadri to feast on third pairings. The Leafs have two first lines to pair with two first pp units. That depth in the salary cap era is unheard of and will give teams matchup nightmares. Mike Babcock can just sit back and roll 3 lines without worrying about matchups at all.

There are still analysts who say the Leafs defence isn’t good enough to contend for a cup. I, for one, have been very critical of this D corps in the past. Although, the pieces are there to have a formidable.

Morgan Rielly is closing in on number 1 status. Jake Gardiner is much better than people think. Nikita Zaitsev just needs to get back to his rookie form. Not to mention, Travis Dermott has the makings of becoming a very good player. This is even truer when realizing that Timothy Liljegren sits waiting in the wings.

The Leafs forwards will have the puck all night, which will, in turn, help the defence. This team can play with anyone. This is arguably the most talented Leafs team ever, and you can bet they will be knocking on Stanley’s door for years to come.

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