Former GM shocks fans with latest admission about Maple Leafs John Tavares

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Julien Trekker
January 18, 2024 (1:46 PM)

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The former general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brian Lawton, made a shocking statement regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs captain, John Tavares.

Lawton's tenure in Tampa Bay wasn't very long, but it had its share of controversies. He was at the helm of the team that refused to trade Vincent Lecavalier to the Montreal Canadiens for Carey Price and P.K. Subban.

However, his journey in Tampa wasn't all bad. He is also remembered for drafting Victor Hedman with the 2nd overall pick in 2009.

That year, John Tavares was drafted 1st overall by the New York Islanders, and Matt Duchene was chosen 3rd by the Colorado Avalanche.

In a recent interview, Jeff Marek talked with Lawton about that draft, and the former GM provided a candid answer, saying the Lightning wouldn't have picked Tavares with the first choice.

Here's what he said:

"The first thing you should know is that back then, I believe that Pittsburgh was in the finals. The top-3 prospects that you just mentioned - Tavares, Hedman, and Duchene - were all invited to come to the finals and watch the game... I had pre-arranged at that time for all three kids to come from Pittsburgh down to Tampa because we had not made a final decision. Our scouting staff had presented a final list to me at that time and it was late in the game so we felt confident that it was Tavares, Duchene, Hedman.

We went to the lottery and someone said you don't seem nervous about the lottery. At that time we could only move back one spot, it was most likely that we would stay where we were, we could only move back one spot, and a small chance to move forward. I felt really confident that we would pick second and the answer to your question is that we would have drafted Victor Hedman first overall [had we won]."

The Lightning Would've Picked Victor Hedman With 1st Overall Pick Instead of Tavares

There's no doubt that Victor Hedman has been one of the top defensemen of his time. Not only did he score 692 points in 1016 games, but he also won two Stanley Cups, the James Norris, and the Conn Smythe.

Hedman's unique style, combining size, skating prowess, and versatile play, places him above the others.

Tavares also had an impressive career, even if the Stanley Cup eludes him. He scored 1009 points in 1070 games, including 439 goals. He doesn't stand out as much as Hedman, nor have the same playoff experience, but he's still an outstanding player and leader.

The fact that Lawton would've drafted Hedman with the 1st overall pick confirms that he's a unique player. It was also the logical decision to make for the Lightning at the time, as they had drafted Steven Stamkos a year before. Choosing a defenseman instead made sense, and it ended up being the right call.

As seen on Maple Leafs Daily
Former NHL GM makes shocking admission about Leafs captain Tavares