What If Steven Stamkos Had Signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs?

During the summer of 2016, Steven Stamkos almost signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Almost is a very prominent word in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs. They almost made the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993, almost drafted Connor McDavid and almost signed Steven Stamkos. Unfortunately, looking back and saying “I almost did it” doesn’t mean anything.

Ever since Mats Sundin broke Leafs fans hearts by signing with the Vancouver Canucks in 2008, the team was always short a number-one centre. Tyler Bozak tried to fill those shoes for a few years, but everyone knew he was an imposter. After finishing 30th in the NHL, there was a light at the end of the tunnel for Leafs fans because they were getting the first overall pick and a potential All-Star centre in free agency.

Like they’d done with Brad Richards in 2011, the Leafs were going to make a pitch at the best Free Agent centre available. However, this time was different. Stamkos was born and raised a Toronto Maple Leafs fan growing up only 30 minutes away from Scotiabank Arena. The thought of him signing with Toronto actually seemed doable.

MLSE and the Toronto Maple Leafs did everything they could to lure Stamkos home. They brought in Mayor John Tory, as well as the CEO of Canadian Tire to showcase all of the different sponsorship possibilities for him. Although Florida is a tax-free state, the money Stamkos could make outside of hockey in Toronto was endless.

Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to acquire the former 60-goal scorer. If the Leafs were in a better spot in the standings, he may have been like John Tavares and came home. Instead, he decided to stay in Tampa, as he talked about in an interview with NHL.com:

"“I’d earned the right to check all my options and that’s what I did.But I loved Tampa and the organization. We had made the (2015) Stanley Cup Final two years earlier and the Eastern Conference Final the next year. We were so close to doing something special.”"

But what would have happened if the Leafs did indeed sign him?

What If Stamkos Did Sign in Toronto?

Stamkos signed an eight-year contract, worth $68M ($8.5 cap-hit) to stay in Tampa Bay, despite rumors mentioning that the Leafs were offering around $11M per season for a maximum of seven seasons.

If Stamkos signed in Toronto in 2016, the Leafs would have had him, Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak as their four centres in the 2016-17 season. With Matthews, Nylander and Marner all on Entry Level Contracts, the team would have most likely been able to fit everyone under the salary cap.

Paired on a line with James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner, Stamkos could have scored 50 goals in his first year in Toronto. The Leafs surprised the world by making the playoffs that season, but he could have propelled them even further than the First Round if he was on the team.

By signing Stamkos it would have eliminated the opportunity for them to get John Tavares, but it also would have made their window to win much longer. Since Tavares and Stamkos are the same age, the arrival of Stamkos two years earlier could have helped them get past the Bruins and go further in the playoffs.

More likely than not, Stamkos would have been named the captain of the Leafs and given the same royal treatment that Tavares is ultimately receiving now. Both players are very similar, but Stamkos is a better skater with a little better ability to score.

For all we know, we could be talking about Stamkos as the greatest free agent signing in NHL history, as he could have helped the Leafs win a Stanley Cup by now. We can all dream about what would have happened if Stamkos joined the Leafs, but at the end of the day, be happy for what you have.