John Tavares' New Deal Marks Major Shift in Maple Leafs Philosophy

With John Tavares locked up for the next four years, on a very reasonable deal mind you, the Maple Leafs' offseason dominos are starting to fall, and things are starting to get exciting for the fans as they await what's next for Brad Treliving's squad.

It was speculated that Tavares could have earned upwards of $7.5-million per season on the free agent market, however ended up signing for only $4.38-million per. It's an incredible amount of savings that may have a hand in making some other important moves for the Leafs.

But with that steep discount, it shows that Toronto isn't going to really budge on demands, and where before they would have acquiesced to a player's contract desires; that feels like a thing of the past.

It seems Tavares wants to keep the Core 4 intact, but also seemed to come to realization that Marner might truly be gone and he's just gotta focus on the now.

We've seen some of the more unsightly contracts in recent seasons, and while we can get a bit frustrated with some of Brad Treliving's acquisitions, they have certainly had some much more egregious deals that old management decided were appropriate.

Case in point David Clarkson's deal. He was expected to be a power forward who can dish out punishment, score early and often, and bring a very respected face to the franchise.

However he was a disaster in Toronto, failing to live up to his seven-year, $36.75-million deal and was quickly shipped off to Columbus for Nathan Horton's injured contract; a cap swap that needs to be examined in terms of historical fleece jobs.

They've had names like Stephan Robidas, Ron Hainsey, Mike Komisarek, Patrick Marleau and Jeff Finger all come into their ranks and fail miserably due to injuries, age, or just being a bad fit.

Toronto wants to avoid repeating history, and while Tavares was fantastic, he is going to be 35 this year, and time is the ultimate equalizer. Going in a new direction where they don't spend too much is something that feels very unlike the Maple Leafs.

He did put in 74 points in 75 games and was a huge catalyst for the Maple Leafs being able to clinch the Atlantic Division, but that wasn't going to be enough for Toronto to bow to his demands, and it proves the team can rely on loyalty after all.

This is about an identity change however, and that starts with how they pay the players with Tavares only the beginning.