Tavares watch

Tom Benjamin adds his voice to the fray.

Here's my take;

- For Tavares to sign with the Marlies, he has to first get the AHL to change it's rules about signing 18 year olds, as they currently have the exact same cut-off for signing a contract as the NHL

- Assuming he clears that hurdle, he could sign a three year deal with the Marlies for big $s, and develop his game against a higher level of competition. Then, his rights from the drafting team (say Phoenix) would expire, and he would be returned back into the draft - where a team (say Phoenix, but lets assume someone other than Toronto) would hold his rights.

- Then, assuming Tavares is deeply interested in avoiding the rookie cap and or doesn't want to play for the teams that have held his rights, he could sign another deal in the AHL, go to Europe for two more years, etc. After this he would finally be an unrestricted free agent. He would also be at least 21 or 22 years old.

Does pursuing this make any sense?

- It does for the Leafs for two reasons; one, they crave a superstar talent like Tavares the way I crave oxygen, and two: they desperately need to inject a ray of hope into the franchise as the team is currently old; slow and expensive - meaning the players aren't performing, can't get better, and can't be traded.

- I'm not sure it does for Tavares. It's essentially holding out for four years to circumvent the rookie salary cap with the added bonus that he gets to play in a minor league without media exposure, or in a foreign league without media exposure. Awesome. Consider that Crosby's financial windfalls were not from his pay-check, but rather from his endorsements. Tavares has an opportunity to make similar coin by playing the game at its highest level, and getting the Tavares brand some much needed exposure and corporate sponsorship. After that, he can expect max contracts so long as he continues to be a terrific goal scorer.