Tavares Will Have to Wait

The Hockey News reports that John Tavares has committed to staying in the OHL next season, playing for the Oshawa Generals. Tavares is only five days short of being draft-eligible in '08, instead he'll have to wait until the 2009 draft.

Tavares raised eyebrows when it was reported that Leafs GM John Fergusen Jr. had contacted him about playing for their AHL team next year, completely bypassing the draft. Not only did I wholeheartedly believe that the situation should never have been discussed, it turned out later that it would have been very difficult for him to get into the league in the first place, since the AHL's commissioner stated that he would not allow it.

It was clear that Tavares explored all options trying to leave the Generals to play somewhere pro next season, but it seems that his search has come to an end. Now we speculate on who will end up with the first overall pick in 2009, I'm sure the Leafs have a great chance now ;)

Leafs Management Trying to Kidnap Tavares

Apparently, Leafs General Manager John Fergusen Jr has been secretly talking to young Oshawa Generals forward, and future number 1 pick, John Tavares about maybe going pro, and signing a contract to play for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL next season. Is this their last resort at trying to end their 40+ year Stanley Cup drought without having to rebuild like most normal teams? They have to go out and give a huge "screw you" to the rest of the league and the league's drafting regulations? They are taking advantage of a young kid who wants to go pro, but can't because he is 5 days older than the cutoff day for the draft. The Leafs organization is really going to push some wrong buttons if they follow through with this, not to mention make a complete mockery of the drafting system, and may very well damage it for years to come. Who's to say the next time another Sidney Crosby comes along, the Habs can't go out and buy him before the draft? That is the precedent the Leafs will set whether you like it or not. The Major League Baseball draft is a joke because of this as well. Star up and coming players completely disregard what team they are drafted by, and demand so much money that the only teams that can afford them are the already good teams, and the bad teams never get better (see the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the American League). It's gotten to the point that teams completely skip a player because they know that he won't sign, and they would rather try to find a diamond in the rough who will actually sign with them. Is this how you want to see the drafts of the NHL's future go? If John Tavares signs a pro contract with the Leafs before he is draft eligible, it will ruin the draft permanently and it will threaten the parity of the teams in the league for years to come. The draft will become just as much of a joke as the MLB draft is if the NHL doesn't step in and stop this unfortunate situation.