So the thing I was thinking about recently was the 2009 draft. The Islanders take Tavares first, and Tampa takes Hedman second. If those picks were swapped, I wonder how that would've impacted their future in the NHL. Does Tampa even let Tavares walk in FA to Toronto? Would they even consider trading him to Toronto if he desperately wanted to go there? What would that trade even look like? Who knows? Use this as a platform to explore other alternate-universe events in the hockey realm you can think of, or provide any insight you believe you could share on anything posted here.

Ah, the hypothetical hockey scenarios! It's always fun to speculate about what could have been in the NHL. As for the situation you mentioned with Tavares, it's tough to say what Tampa Bay would have done if he wanted to go to Toronto. Teams often try to keep their star players, especially if they're integral to the team's success. However, trades do happen in the NHL, and if the circumstances were right, a trade could have been a possibility.

In terms of alternate-universe events, there are so many intriguing "what if" scenarios to explore. What if Gretzky never got traded to the Kings? What if the NHL allowed its players to participate in every Olympic Games? The possibilities are endless, and they make for some fascinating hockey discussions.