An emotional John Tavares apologizes to Leafs fans, begs management to give him another chance

Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares met with the media last night following his team's season ending loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7.

Tavares' contract with the Leafs expires this offseason and there's speculation that he will not be retained by management after seven seasons with his hometown team. An emotional Tavares was asked about the possibility of moving on and what it meant for him to represent the Leafs during his tenure, that's when he made it clear that he would like an opportunity to remain with the club for next season.

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While I feel for Tavares, personally I don't see how they can bring him back next season. To me, there's more value in turning the page and moving on from the Tavares era than anything Tavares could bring on the ice. 

When you look back at the Leafs under Tavares, they've mostly been a disappointment. Looking back at things it's easy to see where the trajectory of things changed. Former GM Kyle Dubas elected to chase after Tavares at $11 million per season while walking away from Nazem Kadri at $4.5 million per season. Kadri was the heart and soul of the Leafs at the time and went on to be a very effective player for the Colorado Avalanche during their 2022 Stanley Cup run. To me, this decision was the largest mistake made by Dubas and Leafs President Brendan Shanahan. It's time to move on from that mistake and move forward with new leadership in place if this team hopes to shed the mistakes of the past.

Thoughts, Leafs fans? Would you welcome JT back on a team-friendly contract? Or should the Leafs leave the past in the past?