John Tavares Speaks Out on His Contract Situation Following Mitch Marner Controversy
John Tavares is speaking out about his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs after it was revealed Mitch Marner refused to waive his no-trade clause.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a pair of serious decisions to make in the coming months, as both Mitch Marner and John Tavares are on expiring contracts and can become unrestricted free agents this summer.
It was recently revealed that the Carolina Hurricanes wanted to trade for Mitch Marner in exchange for Mikko Rantanen (before sending him to the Dallas Stars), but Marner was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause.
Instead, Rantanen was traded to the Stars and Marner remains with the Maple Leafs at least through the end of the year.
Shortly after, John Tavares reiterated his own desire to remain with the Maple Leafs.
They know how I feel and want to make things work, so there will be time for that. Right now, we're focused on earning a playoff spot and doing something special this year. That time will come.
He appears content to let the bulk of negotiations on a new deal take place after the year ends, as he's currently "focused on the task at hand".
Most importantly, focus on what happened here today and learn from it. Gotta get better and ready for a big game Monday.
John Tavares' Future With Maple Leafs Still A Question Mark
Tavares is in the seventh and final year of the contract he signed in 2018; he has 55 points (26G, 29A) in 56 games played and is scoring at nearly a point per game pace.
Tavares is also nearly a year removed from voluntarily handing over the captaincy to teammate Auston Matthews, a move that was initially criticized but has since been a non-issue, and the veteran leads by example regardless of wearing the 'C' or not.
But he's going to be a free agent, and Toronto needs to re-sign Mitch Marner. If Tavares is willing to take a hometown discount for under $6M, it might work out; but if he's looking for more than it might be hard to do anything beyond a one or two year pact.
John Tavares wants to stay, and the Maple Leafs would love to keep him around. The only question is what the cost is eventually going to be.
