When two Original Six rivals like the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs match up in the playoffs, little is needed in terms of outside story lines to fuel the competition.
The B’s and Leafs have gone seven games each of the last two times they have met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Boston taking each of those series in thrilling fashion, including a four-goal third period in last year’s first round.
But that series gave way to the team’s next big battle of the summer — the one for superstar center John Tavares.
While Toronto was heavily favored to sign the free agent heading into last offseason, the Bruins made quite the push to land the 28-year-old. That effort was not lost on Tavares, who despite opting to sign with his hometown team, told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger that he considered a move to the Black and Gold “quite a bit.”
“They were a great team to meet with and definitely a team I thought about for quite a bit,” Tavares said. “They’re a very impressive group.”
Tavares and Toronto seemed like a destined matchup, so the center’s ultimate decision did not come as a massive shock. Perhaps the bigger shock was just how close Boston may have come to stealing the pivot from their bitter rivals.
“I’d already had a lot of respect and a really good impression of what the Boston Bruins had been for basically a decade and playing against them a lot,” Tavares said. “You’re impressed by the way they work together. How they try to build their hockey team and how they envision having success in both the short and long terms.”
“The professionalism, structure and attention to detail goes right through the organization, and you see that trickle down to the type of players they have on the ice that have set the tone for them for a long time. Those are major points.”
Bruins fans can now only imagine what Boston’s forward lines would have looked like with Tavares in the fold. Should the center have signed with the Black and Gold, however, it likely would have triggered more roster moves to make room for Tavares’ massive contract — which in turn could have changed the dynamic of the team.
Looking back, given the spectacular season put up by David Krejci, who admitted that Boston’s pursuit of Tavares made him uneasy, the Bruins have gone on just fine. However, a first round win over the Leafs would go a long way in solidifying that.
