Sports analytics departments continue to grow as the method becomes one of the primary ways management groups build their teams. Yet it’s still hard for me to believe some teams will lean so heavily on mathematical calculations and statistics when determining whether they have a championship-calibre group that’s ready to fight for the Stanley Cup.
. Individually, the Leafs have great talent, but somehow it never meshed. In Keefe’s defence, the Leafs’ chemistry problems started long before he was behind the bench. , even if it is only $600,000 . And, to be fair, Tavares has never tried to be the type of leader he’s not. Going back to his Islanders days, Tavares was never considered to be someone who would take a hands-on approach. His greatest strength as a captain has always been to set an example with his work ethic and ability to produce points. No one can question that in his five years in Toronto, either.
In hindsight, the only chance the signing could have worked properly was if Dubas had stood firmly that no one was to be paid more than the future captain’s $11 million per year. But the Matthews camp had their way with the Leafs, and the dominoes began to fall.