Leafs talking contract with Tavares and he wants to stay: report
When John Tavares decided to join the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency in 2018, it was far and away the most important decision of his professional life.
Having spent the first nine years of his career being the poster boy for the New York Islanders, Tavares opted to sign a seven-year, $77 million deal that made him one of the best-paid players in NHL history.
And while there have been some ups and downs, he’s mostly come as advertised. Tavares has 193 goals and 246 assists for a total of 439 points in 461 regular season games for the Leafs, while he’s put up nine goals and 11 assists in 21 games this season.
His deal with Toronto is set to expire at the end of the season, but it doesn’t appear that he has much interest in testing the open market once again.
According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, Tavares is determined to work with the Leafs to come to a new contract for next year, though there’s no immediate timeline on when an extension may drop.
In an article for The Athletic, Johnston explored Tavares’ contract situation ahead of a possible pending free agency.
“Leafs management and his agent Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey have engaged in a series of discussions throughout the fall, according to league sources briefed on those talks, but haven’t yet landed on an extension that works for all involved,” Johnston wrote. “Tavares has little interest in testing the open market for a second time next summer.”
The news should come as a positive for Leafs fans, as the 34-year-old is likely to finish his career playing for his childhood team.
With fellow Toronto star forward Mitch Marner also seeing his contract expire at the end of the season, it’ll be an interesting offseason to follow how exactly the Leafs navigate their pending salary cap puzzle.
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