Much to the delight of Montreal Canadiens fans, the Toronto Maple Leafs crashed and burned once again in the 2025 postseason. It might've been their worst yet, as they took a 2-0 series lead against the Florida Panthers, lost three straight games, pushed it to a Game 6, and then lost another winner-take-all game. The core hasn't been able to get it done, and it'll likely lead to some groundbreaking changes this summer.
Mitch Marner and John Tavares are unrestricted free agents. Marner is likely heading out the door, and Canadiens fans have been wondering whether his disdain for Toronto is so great that he could attempt to give a measure of revenge by joining their biggest rival.
It'd be expensive to take on Marner for seven years, knowing that he disappears in the postseason. Maybe being out of the spotlight in Toronto would be a breathe of fresh air and lead him to more success, but the spotlight doesn't get any smaller in Montreal.
A Marner contract could have massive dividends for whichever team does it, but you might see him have more success in a smaller market. Canadiens fans wouldn't be devestated with a Marner signing, but it isn't one they'll miss unless he signs with another rival.
An interesting name to circle could be Tavares. There has been hardly no speculation around him signing with the Canadiens, but it's the Maple Leafs player that would make much more sense given Montreal's needs.
The pros
The Canadiens need a second-line center. It was a disappointing playoffs for Tavares with only five goals and two assists in 13 games, but he showed during the regular season that he can still make a difference. Tavares recorded 74 points in 75 games, and had 38 goals, which was his highest total since his first season in Toronto.
We already know that Tavares would work well with a player like Ivan Demidov on his wing. He had his successful regular season alongside William Nylander, who is the same type of player as the Russian rookie. There might be some stylistic differences, but the Canadiens would be fairly content if Demidov reaches that level.
The cons
The worry for Tavares has always been his skating. It became evident again in the postseason as he struggled to keep up with Florida's pace. Tavares isn't a long-term bandaid for the Canadiens' second-line issues, but he'd be a mighty fine placeholder as they wait for one of the centers in their system to take the spot.
Tavares is a much cheaper option than some of these other centers and can still perform at a point-per-game pace. When you have players like Michael Hage coming down the line, maybe the Canadiens don't need to spend massive amounts of money on a lacklustre free agency class.
Tavares could have his downfalls, but when looking at dollars and cents, he might be the Canadiens' best option at center. Would the lifelong Leafs fan want to play in Montreal after seven years in Toronto? That could be the biggest hurdle.