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John Tavares reveals who was responsible for his decision to sign in Toronto


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Ryan Smitheram
November 24, 2023  (10:50)
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On July 1st, 2018, former New York Islanders captain John Tavares shocked the NHL when he signed a 7-year contract worth $77M with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. At the time, when the NHL had the "meeting window" where eligible free agents could meet with teams, Tavares had plenty of suitors, but ultimately chose to come home. Now six seasons into his lucrative deal, Tavares revealed the main reason why he decided to sign with the Leafs in a discussion with Chris Johnston of The Athletic earlier this week. Tavares said it was Kyle Dubas who should be credited with prying him out of Long Island.

"I mean obviously the players that are in this room and the young core that was being developed, and how I fit into that and how he envisioned my game and my impact. The window of opportunity here to win and why winning here was really special and how he laid all of that out was pretty remarkable. His influence on me coming here was massive," Tavares said of the pitch that Kyle Dubas and the Leafs gave him in June of 2018.

Tavares was wooed by Dubas and following the shocking decision to leave The Island and come home, the Leafs' captain affirmed that he and Dubas carried on an excellent relationship long after the homecoming.
"I had a tremendous relationship with him. His influence on me coming here was massive. Probably the biggest reason why I came to Toronto."

While Dubas had a massive influence on Tavares signing in Toronto, it is safe to say that Tavares, in turn, has had a massive influence on the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner since he arrived and has provided a very calm, stoic presence when the Leafs are facing adversity.
Named the 25th Captain in Leafs history at the beginning of his second season in Toronto, the now 33-year-old, has produced at almost a point-per-game in his six seasons with the Leafs. In 377 games in the blue and white, Tavares has registered 162 goals and 373 points. The former first overall pick from the 2009 draft has 621 points in 669 career games. How's that for consistency?
Source: The Athletic
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NOVEMBRE 24   |   424 ANSWERS
John Tavares reveals who was responsible for his decision to sign in Toronto

In hindsight should the Leafs have signed Tavares?

Yes, but not for 7 years11928.1 %
Yes, but not for $11M19646.2 %
No, they weren't a contender at the time6114.4 %
Not sure4811.3 %
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