Leafs, Caps’ repeat bid, Karlsson’s move among NHL top storylines in 2018-19
John Tavares spent the first nine seasons of his NHL career in relative anonymity.
The quiet, keeps-to-himself star centre was the face of the New York Islanders — a team with rich history, but not much to show for the last three decades.
A pending unrestricted free agent this past summer, it would have been easy for Tavares to stay with the franchise that drafted him, the only one he’d ever known.
He instead chose to shake the hockey world and signalled that no matter what happens this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be front and centre.