Grading the Toronto Maple Leafs Most Notorious Canada Day Moves
2018: Toronto Maple Leafs Bring in the Homegrown Star
The Greater Toronto Area is home to a large number of stars in the NHL. With the Toronto Maple Leafs having the passionate and loyal fanbase they have, you figured a big fish would sign with the team in free agency. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened in years.
That was until the 2018 offseason. The first player to be granted exceptional status from the CHL to play in the league underage, a four-time 30+ goal-scorer, and a captain decided he wanted to go home. That was the 2009 1st overall selection, John Tavares.
Trying to convince someone as good a player as Tavares to sign with you is not an easy task. Kyle Dubas made sure he could put together the best pitch possible, and as it turns out, it worked. That included signing him to a seven-year deal worth $11 million per season.
He was the best player available in free agency in recent history. It makes up for the team missing out on players like Steven Stamkos and, though unrealistic, Connor McDavid.
The signing means the Leafs finally had something they lacked for a long time, multiple reliable centers. They now had Auston Matthews, Tavares, and Nazem Kadri. That’s three lines with centers that will torment opposing defenses.
I must say, Johnny T has been living up to the hype. If anything, he is playing better than expected. His first season with the Buds saw a career-high for points and goals scored. While not praised, he was winning faceoffs and controlling the puck at a higher rate.
His impact on and off the ice was clear to everyone. It was enough for the former Islanders captain to become the 25th captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs to start his second season in blue and white.
In all three seasons thus far, John has been more than stable defensively. That’s while averaging around one point per game. While it is not as flashy as playing offense, he averaged three hits, just over one and a half blocks, and just under two takeaways per 60 minutes played last season.
No, the Toronto Maple Leafs still haven’t had playoff success; however, this past season, Tavares couldn’t help the team due to a brutal concussion. That’s the only thing he has fallen short of thus far. For everything else, John Tavares was a fantastic signing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.