Tavares says praise from peers won't change Maple Leafs' process

CHICAGO -- John Tavares and Auston Matthews are fully aware that some of the NHL's best were praising the Toronto Maple Leafs this week.

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"Those are big compliments, especially when they come from your peers," Matthews said of the buzz coming from the NHL Player Media Tour. "But you can't focus on that.
"I think we can be a great team. We've got all the tools. We added a superstar center. We've got a lot of depth. Our ceiling is as high as we want it, but if you don't put all those tools together you're not going to get the result you want."
More than two dozen of the NHL's elite were here to meet with the media, and once the final question had been asked, it became evident that the offseason hype surrounding the Maple Leafs was not just a figment of the imagination of a fan base thirsting to end a Stanley Cup drought that goes back to 1967.
Two months have passed since Tavares signed a seven-year free agent contract to join the Maple Leafs, and hopes and expectations keep skyrocketing.
"It's no surprise," the center said. "I expected that to be the case."

But the reaction from inside the NHL may not have been expected. Asked which team (other than their own) was their favorite to win the Stanley Cup, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins mentioned the Maple Leafs, as did Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars.
"I don't need anyone to validate the decision for me," Tavares said. "I think I came to validate the decision myself and that's why I made the decision because I believed in it. Obviously I think everyone knew from the way things have been going that something good has been building in Toronto.
"But we still have a long way to go, myself included. I haven't been there, and I know a lot of the young players, we really haven't accomplished a whole lot. In my nine years with the New York Islanders, I only went to the second round (of the Stanley Cup Playoffs) once. The [Maple] Leafs were in the first round the past couple of years. We have a lot of hurdles to overcome.
"Obviously the goal is the Stanley Cup. That's what you play every year for and you don't take any year for granted. You don't want to waste any opportunity. So whatever your peers say, I think you try to stick with your own process and growth and get better and get to where you want to get to."
Tavares, who grew up in the Toronto-area community of Oakville, knew he was stepping into a hockey fishbowl when he signed. He said he's lost count of how many times he's been asked who should be the captain and expects to be peppered with that same question during Maple Leafs media day.
He hasn't played a game for Toronto and already he's had a taste of the limelight.
"To be honest, I've just tried to appreciate the attention and not focus on it," he said. "Because the more you build it up, you can make it as big as you want it to be."
Tavares said he's been frequently recognized, whether it be in the grocery store or walking down the street. In every instance, he said he was greeted with respect.
"I think I appreciate that you don't take for granted that people look up to you," the 27-year-old said. "I remember being young and looking up to many great hockey players. So I feel very fortunate that you get to do this for a living every day and that people look up to you, and obviously being in Toronto, really appreciate the decision I made coming home.
"The bottom line: It's amazing to play in a city that loves its team as much as Toronto loves the Maple Leafs."