from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

Winning free agency doesn’t always equate to winning hockey, although it’s been a long while since the NHL had a free agent like John Tavares.

Still, it isn’t difficult to concoct a scenario where things might not have gone so well for a 28-year-old arriving into hockey’s largest market with the league’s second-highest cap hit and sky-high expectations.

And yet, through the first segment of games the Toronto Maple Leafs have played with Tavares, he’s come exactly as advertised and been worth every penny of the $15-million he was paid in a signing bonus on the afternoon he chose Toronto over five other free-agent finalists.

"What I like about him is he’s a pro. What I like about him is he’s calm," said coach Mike Babcock. "What I like about him is he doesn’t – none of this [media attention] matters, he’s just going to come and do his job and he’s a man....

He’s also helped the Leafs put points in the bank at a rate never before seen in the franchise’s 100-plus year history.

Truth be told, they had no business heading into the holiday break with Sunday’s 5-4 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings. They did a poor job of controlling the puck and generating chances for half the night — Tavares and linemates Mitch Marner and Andreas Johnsson included — and fell behind to an opponent making up the gap in skill with will.

But talent is what wins in this league and it pulled Toronto back into the game.

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