How the Tavares signing impacts Leafs' lineup, league dynamics

TORONTO - The most famous hockey-related list in recent memory shrunk by two-thirds as the weekend neared. The wheels were in motion.

John Tavares, the brightest free-agent star of the NHL's salary-cap era, paced back and forth on his Toronto-area pool deck. His mind raced. He pored over the pros and cons of signing a long-term contract with one of the remaining suitors: the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders.

The Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks - all of whom had pitched Tavares earlier in the week at his agency's Los Angeles headquarters - were old news, out, and, as the 27-year-old detailed Sunday, the list was narrowed down to "where I'm from" and "where I've been for a long time."

"My heart was tearing apart trying to figure out what I wanted to do," Tavares said at his introductory press conference.

In the end, with the hockey world in the palm of his hand, the ultra-loyal Tavares opted for what "felt right." His inner calculus spat out Toronto sometime mid-to-late Saturday afternoon.

His camp informed the Leafs not long after, and the two sides began discussing the particulars of a long-term contract. Outlined in the chart below, thanks to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the signing bonus-heavy deal came to fruition in the wee hours of Sunday.

"I just had this feeling that this was the right fit for me, the right thing to do," said Tavares, stoic as always while his seven-year, $77-million agreement captivated Leafs Nation on Canada Day.

Hockey's modest version of LeBron James' infamous Decision in 2010, capped by a bombshell announcement on Tavares' Twitter account, centered around three factors, according to the player, Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, and Toronto president Brendan Shanahan.

First, the Leafs' indisputably strong roster. Second, the organization's pledge that his family would find comfort under the Toronto glare. Third, the opportunity and challenge of leading his hometown team to glory.

"We worked really hard on our presentation," Shanahan told theScore of the Leafs' pitch in L.A. "We were very clear in who the communicator was and that was Kyle, and we felt we told our story and put our best foot forward. Regardless of what happened, I think there was a quiet confidence around here, that we had done our best, and we were hopeful that he'd choose us."

Fittingly, the Leafs' home rink has a new name. On Sunday, the Air Canada Centre became Scotiabank Arena. The so-called Shanaplan, which started in earnest inside the ACC in April 2014, has entered a new stratosphere.

What now for the Leafs?

The Leafs now have enviable strength down the middle, their own spin on the Pittsburgh Penguins' venerable Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin tandem.

It's an imperfect comparison, sure, but it's difficult to pump the brakes on the best-case scenario when Auston Matthews, who turns just 21 this fall, is already arguably a top-10 center, and Tavares, a top-10 center for the better part of the past decade, is finally in a position to skate alongside another difference-maker.

Leafs coach Mike Babcock laid out his plans to Tavares in L.A. Stressing that it's the offseason and nothing is set in stone, he revealed Sunday that he has Tavares teaming up with Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman this fall.

Patrick Marleau, Babcock added, will join the dynamic duo of William Nylander and Matthews to complete the top six. With considerable depth, the Leafs' forward group evolved Sunday from very good to great.

On paper, placing Marner on Tavares' wing is a foolproof plan. The former is a tremendous playmaker (who can also finish) and the latter is a 12.9 percent career shooter (who can also thread the needle). Expect more tap-ins, one-timers, and breakaways in No. 91's near future.

"His speed, his ability to control the play, control games at times, his ability to move the puck and create time and space with his feet," Tavares said, rhyming off Marner's alluring qualities. "It's extremely impressive ... when you're on the ice, you know he's around the puck, he's on top of the puck and he wants it."

Exiting the forward fold via free agency are three longtime Leafs. Goal-scoring winger James van Riemsdyk is returning to Philadelphia, third-line centre Tyler Bozak is St. Louis bound, and sparkplug Leo Komarov is off to Long Island. Tavares will slide into Van Riemsdyk's net-front position on the Leafs' first power-play unit, according to Babcock.

Similar to Van Riemsdyk, the Mississauga native is creative around the goalmouth. He has averaged north of three power-play minutes per game over his nine-year career, making a second home in the crease area, and, in 2017-18, bagged 12 of his 37 goals on the PP.

Along with elite skill, vision, finishing ability, durability, and three-zone attentiveness, Babcock believes the newest Leaf brings veteran clout. It's no coincidence Tavares' seat in the locker room neighbors the stalls for both Marner, 21, and Nylander, 22.

"John being older, and John going through the hard knocks of the National Hockey League already - no different than Patrick Marleau when he arrived (last offseason from the Sharks) - the impact he's going to have on our young people is going to be immense," Babcock said.

What now for the league?

The Maple Leafs' odds to win the Stanley Cup vastly improved Sunday. That's a fact. But, in reality, the Tavares signing doesn't guarantee a single thing.

The NHL, of course, has a salary cap, which means the Leafs must be savvy spenders moving forward. Nylander (up now), Matthews (up in 2019), Marner (2019), and blue-liner Jake Gardiner (2019) need contract extensions, while the right side of their defense is ordinary at best.

What's more, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins stand in the doorway. The Atlantic Division is top-heavy, and neither of those teams lost a player of significance through free agency.

Past the Atlantic side of the bracket are Crosby and the Penguins, and Alex Ovechkin and the reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. Both will be Eastern Conference heavyweights until further notice. It isn't Toronto and another team; it's Toronto and four others.

The West is harder to handicap, yet it features a group of projected Cup contenders in the Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, and Vegas Golden Knights, and the three reloading California teams. Winnipeg, in particular, is primed for a string of deep playoff runs and on a similar trajectory to the Leafs.

A comprehensive league assessment would be premature right now. It's July. The dust must settle on free agency and the rumor mill (hello, Erik Karlsson). Until then, though, Leafs fans can dream big. The power has shifted.

Tavares, who slept in a Leafs-themed bed growing up, talked Sunday about what it would mean to end the decades-long Cup drought.

"It's hard to put that into words, right?" he said.

"People have been waiting for it for a long time. People are hungry for it. The passion for the game, the passion for the Maple Leafs, is unprecedented."