John Tavares and Jason Spezza may be seven years apart in age, but their journeys through the hockey world are loaded with similarities. Maple Leafs fans should be hoping for this to continue throughout the rest of Tavares’ career.
Let’s circle back to their childhoods and where it all began on the hockey stage. Both players grew up in the Greater Toronto Area, rooting on their home-town Maple Leafs. Their paths would lead them both to the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Toronto Marlboros U15 AAA team. A year away from junior hockey, Spezza would set the bar back in 1997-98, recording 53 goals and 114 points in just 54 games. Tavares would also dominate the GTHL six years later posting a whopping 95 goals in 90 games, and finishing the season with 187 points. The crazy part? Both were playing underage, with older teammates.
The theme continued and this was just the beginning. Spezza would leave the Marlboros organization the next season, and be granted ‘early approval’ status by the Ontario Hockey League at the age of 15. He’d be selected first overall at the 1999 OHL Draft, by the Mississauga IceDogs.
As for Tavares, it was very much the same five years later. After another astonishing season playing with the U16 Marlboros, Tavares would be the first player ever granted ‘exceptional’ status by the Canadian Hockey League and would go on to also be selected first overall at the OHL Draft, landing with the Oshawa Generals where he had an illustrious career.
From junior hockey dominance which included representing Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships, both Spezza and Tavares would go on to be drafted in the first-round of their respected drafts. Spezza went second overall in 2001, one spot behind Ilya Kovalchuk, while Tavares would go first overall in 2009, one spot ahead of Victor Hedman. An opportunity to showcase their skills at the highest level of hockey in the world, both Spezza and Tavares wouldn’t disappoint and lived up to their sky-high expectations as a junior hockey prodigy and top-NHL draft pick.
Childhood dreams became reality for both
After establishing himself as a offensive weapon and top-six centre, Spezza would wrap up a multi-year contract with the Dallas Stars where he was making $7-million average annual value and hit the free-agent market in 2019. Where he would land next? His hometown team, of course.
Spezza would sign for an unexpected $700,000 with the Maple Leafs, in a move that turned heads around the league. He took the league minimum after making $7 million per season, even though he had recorded just 27 points in 76 games the season prior, it was still a huge pay cut many didn’t see coming at the time.
Why would Spezza be open to this? ‘For the love of the game’ and to try and bring a Stanley Cup to his home-town team. Spezza met with the media after originally joining the Maple Leafs and made it clear as day what his motive was.
“Yeah, it doesn’t seem real to be honest. My family is very excited about it. I grew up a Leaf fan, probably as every kid in Toronto does. Dougie Gilmour, Wendel Clark, those were my guys growing up. I remember watching the team in ’93 have the run, I would have been 10 years old in the prime of my fandom as a kid,” explained Spezza.
“Just to have a chance to put on a Leafs jersey is going to be pretty special for me. Like I said, I see the little logo beside my name on the TV and it looks pretty good.”
What about Tavares? Well, he signed with the Maple Leafs the summer prior to Spezza, and at the time, couldn’t have been more clear around the reasoning, after several teams made lucrative contract offers.
They’d go on to spend three seasons as teammates with Tavares playing a top-six role, while Spezza got accustomed to his depth role, winning key faceoffs, and changing the style of his game to be more impactful on the defensive side of the puck. The Leafs didn’t have a ton of playoff success while Spezza was living out his childhood dream but the dream still continues for Tavares and this is where the fun part begins.
Will Tavares be as open financially as Spezza?
After seeing Spezza make a boatload of money throughout his decorated career, and with a pending contract extension on the forefront, will Tavares, who recently handed over his captaincy to Auston Matthews, be open to taking a Spezza-like pay cut to stick around the Maple Leafs?
Once the start of the 2025-26 season rolls around, Tavares will be two years younger than when Spezza originally signed a free-agent deal in Toronto. This will be the first season for Tavares after signing a seven-year, $77-million deal with the Leafs.
General manager Brad Treliving has the tough task of trying to navigate in a salary cap world with high-end talent who have been paid handsomely, including the likes of Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner. Tavares, who handled his role change with complete class, mentioned recently to the media that he was ok with giving Matthews the ‘C’ because he didn’t grow up dreaming of being captain of the Maple Leafs, rather that he dreamt of bringing the Stanley Cup back home. The timing felt right after another playoff disappointment and he was on board with management’s new direction.
While accepting a league minimum deal for three straight summers may be off the table for Tavares, the Maple Leafs’ veteran may be open to taking a massive pay cut from his $11-million AAV he’s made the past six seasons.
Tavares’ extension is likely coming at some point throughout the 2024-25 regular season and it’s going to be interesting to see how much he’s willing to sacrifice financially to give the Maple Leafs a chance to bring home a Stanley Cup before he retires.
Spezza had no issues taking much less. Your move, Johnny.
