Signing John Tavares gives the Toronto Maple Leafs historically great depth down the middle, three lines that can score against top competition and a young core of elite talent that they will be able to keep moving forward.



It’s widely accepted that Tavares is easily a top 10 centre in the NHL, and that adding him makes an up-and-coming Toronto team all the more dangerous. The excitement the move has generated is justified, and when analyzing Tavares’ game on its individual merits, a strong argument can be made that he’s been underrated compared to other superstars in the league to this point in his career.



Looking at the company Tavares keeps, I don’t think he gets enough credit for how dominant he’s been offensively — especially when you consider how little he’s had to work with. Outside of the three best scorers on the planet (McDavid, Crosby and Malkin), every centre who has produced at a similar rate to Tavares has...