NHL Insider Shares One Important Detail About John Tavares' Next Contract With the Leafs
Former Maple Leafs captain John Tavares has been very productive to start the season, leading to a contract extension update from one NHL Insider.
Tavares essentially signed for the remainder of his prime years when he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the summer of 2018. At the age of 28, the wily veteran made his Leafs debut and turned in a 47-goal, 88-point season, which were both career-highs.
His 7-year contract was going to take him through his age-34 season and as we fast forward 7 years later, we are left wondering if and when the two sides will come to an agreement on a new deal.
The 34-year-old carries an $11M AAV but it is widely believed that his new deal won't come close to the same valuation and when it comes to length, it should be a short one, considering he'll be 35-years-old when the 2025-26 season rolls around.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is of the same mindset as he doesn't believe that Tavares' next contract will be be the 5-7 year threshold. He stated on Tuesday that it will be a short-term agreement, likely not going beyond 3 years.
Nevertheless, if both sides want to come to an amicable agreement, you'd believe they would meet down the middle and hammer out a three-year deal. Tavares will still be productive in his age 35, 36, and 37 seasons and it would give him the financial and term security that every player sets their sights on late in their career.
When asked whether or not there was a chance that both Mitch Marner and Tavares would get their deals done during the season, Pagnotta seemed hesitant at first but believes that Tavares would be more inclined than the former:
If Brad Treliving and Tavares' camp can find some middle ground in the foreseeable future, then an extension for Tavares will more or less get done in-season. We know they've been talking since the end of the summer and that both sides want a reunion, it will just boil down to the whether or not the Leafs can offer their former captain an enticing contract to stick around.
Tavares currently has 5 goals and 9 points in 9 games, while averaging 16:32 TOI and will continue to see high-end minutes with a lot of scoring potential as the season rolls along.
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