When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed John Tavares to a 7-year contract, the team hoped this was a sign of things to come. Tavares was the biggest salary cap era signing and was supposed to represent that it was okay for players to come home to Toronto. This marked an opportunity for the Maple Leafs to add an elite talent to their roster.
Along with him, Tavares was supposed to bring leadership and a killer instinct that would get the Maple Leafs to the promise land. Tavares was supposed to break the curse, instead, the curse in Toronto has only worsened. After eight consecutive years of disappointing finishes, the team is now looking at taking an entirely new direction.
With most eyes on Mitch Marner, some have wondered if the Maple Leafs would consider asking Tavares to waive his no movement clause. Yesterday NHL Insider, Pierre LeBrun provided some clarity on the subject. According to LeBrun at this time there have been no conversations about Tavares waiving his trade protection.
Despite their urge to make changes, all signs point to the Maple Leafs being forced to run it back one final time. Due to the contracts handed out by Kyle Dubas, all players in the core have full trade protection. Despite what fans will want to hear, the hands of the general manager are completely tied at this time and the team may have to suffer through one more year of their uneven salary distribution.
