Tavares seems to be the most underrated leader on this team and possibly in the entire NHL. He had the awareness to walk away from the captaincy, hand it over to a player in Auston Matthews who is the true future of the franchise and was already the leader on the ice, and then took a massive pay cut to remain with the Leafs and give them enough financial flexibility to possibly remain competitive.
"Mitch Marner needs some time to think about his future, spending weeks discussing with family after the Maple Leafs' disappointing playoff exit and approaching free agency."