"Good to finally get things started," said Tavares, who is starting year one of the seven-season contract he agreed to with Toronto in July. "We know there's a lot of excitement around the team, so…we know where we want to get to, and just enjoy the ride."
Tavares (along with defenceman Morgan Rielly and winger Patrick Marleau) will wear an "A" on his Leafs jersey as an alternate captain during his first year in Toronto. The 27-year-old Mississauga native has embraced the challenge of coming home at the peak of his powers, and believes he can be a crucial component in the Leafs' competitive cycle.
Head coach Mike Babcock agrees and made it clear he sees the franchise's core talent being capable of a lengthy run as Stanley Cup contenders when he spoke with the media on Thursday.
"Now, we're on the map with other good teams," Babcock said. "It's interesting. When you walk around this city, the fans in our city are happy. They want more, though, and we want more, too. I think we're set up good here for a five-to-seven-year run. Anybody who has been around winning in the NHL knows you need a run. It's not about one year. It's about a run. You're always all in on the year you're in, but you need a run."
With the cameras from Media Day packed away, the Leafs headed south to Niagara Falls where they'll set up shop for the next three days of training camp. 73 players have been invited to participate in camp where competition is expected to be intense - not just in terms of job positions, but in terms of ice time, line placement and improving individual games.
"Training camp is an individual time of year," Babcock said. "As much as we're building a team, guys are in here and whether you're a kid and you're going right back to junior, you're trying to make an impression and you're trying to learn from good veterans. Whether you're the four or five guys that are actually battling for jobs on our roster and think you're right in, it's those four exhibition games and what can you do with it."
"Our guys - if you're pretty much sure you're going to be here - are you getting to play in the first minute and the last minute? Are you playing at four-on-four in overtime? Are you on the power play or penalty kill? How many minutes are you going to play? Those things are always up for grabs every year. What we do is we watch the players, they play, and we figure it out."
That's a challenge every Leafs player welcomes.
"Individually, all of us want to take a step forward," centre Auston Matthews said. "The team wants to take a step forward…We have high expectations for (ourselves) and I think that's a good thing. All of us want to be great, want to push each other, and achieve the ultimate goal."
