Imagine this: a hockey superstar chooses to join his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in the midst of his prime, captains the club over a sustained period of team success, and even plays playoff series-clinching overtime hero, all the while consistently delivering as a near-point-per-game player. That is exactly what fans in Toronto have gotten to experience over the past seven years with John Tavares, so why does the reality of his tenure in the organization feel slightly underwhelming?
Tavares, fresh off of his sixth hat trick as a Maple Leaf, is, of course, coming to the end of the seven-year, $77 million contract that he signed back on the first day of free agency in 2018. Arguably the biggest free agent splash in franchise history, the signing of the Mississauga native shook up the NHL, making him public enemy number one among New York Islanders fans while sparking celebration in Toronto, with fans dreaming of an impossibly-stacked forward corps and the league’s best depth chart at center.
Tavares’ Contract
Back in summer 2018, most Maple Leafs fans were too busy reveling in their loaded new lineup to worry about the term or cost involved in Tavares’ contract. However, it soon became clear that regardless of how good the 2009 first-overall pick was, paying him $11 million for seven years straight was a costly endeavor.
While Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were still on their entry-level deals at the time of Tavares’ arrival, his signing would coincide with a big extension for William Nylander that would pay the young Swede $10.2 million. Not only would those two contracts occupy more than 25% of what was a $79.5 million cap at the time, but it would create a pinch that would particularly be felt the following season as both Matthews and Marner came up for new deals.
One of the great ‘what ifs?’ that plague this generation of Maple Leafs hockey is what if Tavares hadn’t signed. Yes, it would have cost them their third-leading scorer over the past seven years. However, that $11 million would have enabled the front office to establish more balance – both in regards to a roster that, at the time, needed more defensive depth and for a cap sheet that has lacked flexibility since Tavares’ signing effectively launched the ‘Core Four’ era. While fans would surely love to have him back past this season, it’ll clearly come at a significantly cheaper cap hit.
Tavares’ Importance to Toronto
That said, focusing too much on Tavares’ contract diminishes the fact he has been exactly what the Maple Leafs had hoped for when he joined the club. He debuted with a career-best 47-goal, 88-point season and has gone on to operate at just under a point-per-game clip ever since. Perhaps even more importantly, he has been a stable, consistent presence down the middle, mostly slotting into the top-six and suiting up for 470 of the team’s 485 games during his Toronto tenure. Even now, on the downside of his career, he continues to defy age with strong, steady play.
Tavares’ importance has been symbolic, too. By signing with his hometown Maple Leafs, not only did he represent a massive off-season coup, but he dispelled some of the myths about Toronto natives wishing to avoid the attention and pressure associated with being a Maple Leaf. Everything that he’s done with the organization (well, almost everything), from his Leafs bedding as a kid to earning the captaincy, to raising an adorable young family, has demonstrated his pride and positive representation of the organization.
The class and integrity Tavares has demonstrated also served to make what could have been a messy, tumultuous captaincy transition this past summer surprisingly smooth. It was Tavares, after all, who reportedly initiated moving the ‘C’ onto Matthews’ chest. Furthermore, he was active in addressing the media and partaking in the press conference to announce Matthews as captain, ensuring that any potential narrative to suggest the presence of tension behind the scenes would be quickly snuffed out.
Based on all that Tavares has given to the Maple Leafs, it’s fitting he was the one to deliver their one and only second-round playoff appearance, scoring in overtime of Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning for their only playoff series victory of the past 20 years. Much like his over-all tenure with the franchise, however, the moment is remembered with a tempered enthusiasm, owing to their five-game defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers soon thereafter.
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Why Doesn’t Tavares Get More Love?
To Maple Leafs fans who remember the excitement of Tavares’ initial signing, it would be rather confusing to think that he has never achieved beloved, iconic status in Toronto despite being the player everyone hoped he’d be. There are a number of possible reasons why that could be the case.
Tavares’s tenure with the Maple Leafs has coincided with near-unprecedented expectations surrounding the talented club. Despite all the regular season success they have experienced, their postseason showings have still left much to be desired. Is that the now 34-year-old’s fault? Not entirely, but he certainly has a role to play.
Similarly, Tavares is guilty of the crime of putting up merely solid and not exceptional numbers. While 447 points in 470 games as a Maple Leaf is certainly nothing to sneeze at, those numbers pale in comparison to what his “Core Four” cohorts Matthews, Marner, and Nylander have put up during the same time frame. That’s not to say that fans don’t like Tavares, but it’s hard to garner a ton of affection and admiration when you are largely overshadowed by at least three of your teammates. Even with free agency looming, his own contract status will likely play second fiddle to that of Marner.
Barring any unforeseen forthcoming circumstances, Tavares’ legacy in Toronto will be a positive one. He will surely receive a well-earned ovation in his first return to Scotiabank Arena (either as a visiting player or retiree) and will be properly acknowledged for a highly-successful tenure. And yet, his contract, his more productive teammates and the club’s playoff track record (until now, at least) may ultimately leave him short – fairly or unfairly – of the pantheon of Leafs legends that includes the likes of Mats Sundin, Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Darryl Sittler, and eventually Matthews.)
