The Maple Leafs are currently in a rebuild mode, as evidenced by the departure of captain Dion Phaneuf, that will likely take years to come to fruition. With the amount of cap space opened up by the deal, and with the Leafs in need of solid players, the captain of the Islanders, John Tavares, seems like a good fit. The Mississauga native is in his fourth year of his six-year contract at $5.5 million per season and becomes a free agent on July 1, 2018, according to the NY Post's Larry Brooks.
The transition from Long Island to Brooklyn has been hard for the players, as the organization is currently operating in both locations. The ownership has refused "to build a practice facility in the borough but instead recommitting to skating on the Island, ownership has placed an undue burden/inconvenience on the players," according to Brooks. Having to commute year after year could be tiresome and end up costing the team in the long-run.
While Tavares has been crucial to the team's revival in the past few seasons, the team does not have much to show for it, having not won a playoff series yet. If they bow out in the first round this season or fail to make the playoffs, Tavares might look to another team in the future and his hometown could be his destination. Toronto would welcome him with open arms, but the pressure on him to perform would certainly be high.
There were recent rumors of Steven Stamkos heading to the Leafs, but those rumors were squashed today as Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman stated that the 26-year-old will not be traded at the upcoming deadline. Does this leaves the door open for an eventual Tavares move?
The Leafs would do well to rebuild around Tavares, as prospects such as William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Connor Brown could all become Leafs as early as next season, according to the Hockey Writers' Jeff Langridge. Coach Mike Babcock has been doing well despite the lineup the Leafs are dealing with this year.
If the Leafs manage to become contenders in the next couple of years, Tavares could be the missing piece that takes the team to the next level.
