Maple Leafs Face An Unexpected Twist In John Tavares' Contract Extension

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Chris Gerics
November 14, 2024 (11:17)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are keen to re-sign John Tavares as he is a key figure on their team, but one NHL Insider thinks it might be a bit harder than first thought.

If John Tavares was bothered by his stripping of the captaincy, you'd never know it. A consummate professional, Tavares goes into each game with the same leadership, passion, and vigor he has every week. He has 9 goals and 16 points even at 36, and shows no signs of slowing down.

But there is one issue, and that is John Tavares is a free agent come this summer, and there have been no real indications of whether or not he will re-sign, even though both parties are clearly interested in staying together.

NHL Insider Mike Johnson recently commented on the Tavares situation, speaking to Jay Onrait on Sportscentre whether or not we can expect an announcement from the club sooner than anticipated:

"I don't think it's coming sooner rather than later Jay, because there's no need. The Leafs know John Tavares wants to stay in Toronto, they aren't going to trade him, so you have the end of the year, there's no rush here."

While Johnson is correct in that the Maple Leafs and Tavares are more than happy to bang out a deal, Toronto does have other financial issues to worry about beforehand. Although, locking up Tavares for the next couple years wouldn't be the worst thing Brad Treliving could do now.

A new contract for John Tavares won't be at the $11M he's currently getting but there is no doubt he still offers value and won't be getting league minimum. Personally, if I had to guess it would be a contract worth roughly $20-25M over the next four years.

This amount gives Tavares the financial incentive as he can still contribute, it gives Toronto a big discount to keep Tavares, and it will allow him to transition into retirement easier and perhaps become a coach or executive for the Maple Leafs a la Jason Spezza did.

Toronto has no real need to rush a Tavares deal yet, and the humble and gracious nature of their former captain needs to be a mainstay in their locker room for years to come. It won't be the cheapest deal, but it's going to be the right call.

Toronto should just get their other contracts sorted out first.