This is anecdotal and only worth so much. I went to the same high school as Tavares and shared some classes with him. From what I gathered at the time (and keep in mind we’re a decade+ later here), he was an extremely quiet, but decent guy. He struck me as someone very loyal and not in love with the spotlight. Several of his Oshawa Generals’ teammates also went to my school, and while many of them loved the spotlight and attention, he made a decided effort to shield himself from it. Now, do I think he grew up wanting to play/be drafted by the Leafs? Probably, yes. Do I think some part of him wants to still play for the Leafs? Probably, yes. But playing for the Leafs is like being under a microscope for 24 hours a day. Everything I saw of him in the flesh and have read from afar as his career has progressed tells me he’s not leaving Long Island.