I do think it's telling that the core pieces of the Bruins franchise have all sacrificed money and taken team-friendly deals where the Leafs' core has been a bunch of holdout threats with Dubas panicking and throwing $11 at them.
The atmosphere around the Bruins and Leafs is completely different, it's incredible.
And I personally think Tavares changed everything.
I believe the Leafs screwed up getting Tavares, and the Bruins lucked out (think Tavares is overrated).
Dubas signing a forward to 11M before all his high talented young forwards were up for post ELC, big risk, and it didn't pay off. He paid a premium for every one of them. Signing Tavares obviously didn't convince them that they were a winning team to take less. All Tavares did was set the market for his own team as a comparable.
And I do give Sweeney credit for the contracts he has given out, but the potential Tavares one he was going to hand out, I give a big thumbs down. To me, he was lucky he choose Toronto.