You make some good points about the Tavares signing creating a chain reaction of overpaying guys. They all looked at that contract, and said “well if he deserves that, then so do I.” One of Nylander, or Marner should have been dealt during their holdouts. It was an opportunity to create an environment where it was clear that the inmates weren’t going to run the asylum. Dubas got totally schooled there when he just caved to both of those guys. They all got paid, and they’ve all underperformed in the playoffs ever since.
To be fair though, I don’t think any of us could have guessed that Tavares’s effectiveness would have declined so quickly. I mean think of what could have been had Stamkos went to Toronto the off season before, instead of Tavares. We’d most likely be talking about a championship in Toronto by now, because real leaders don’t accept passengers on their team - bringing it down for too long.
