Tavares really had all the cards here. He said as much that he wanted to stick around. For Tre to lose both him and Marner together would have looked awful. I'd go a step further and say there was probably something else negotiated whereby Tavares will be given a management position upon retirement akin to Spezza. Tre had no choice but to play hardball here, but if Tavares wanted to he could've screwed him hard. Again, Leafs fans don't know how much he helped them here.
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