Toronto Maple Leafs meet with Tavares to discuss new contract but Marner's holding off
The Toronto Maple Leafs head into the offseason in a position that’s become all too familiar over the past few years.
Within hours — or minutes, even — of their season ending on Sunday night in a 6-1 Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the second round, Leafs Nation was already deep into the conversations about how the team would look next season.
The two biggest question marks circle around a pair of highly paid forwards, with Mitch Marner’s US$10.93 million and John Tavares’ US$11 million cap hits coming off the books this summer. While the team also has to expect a likely bump in salary for restricted free agent Matthew Knies, it’s going to be a delicate balance for Toronto’s front office to see which Leafs players will end up returning next season.
Marner is coming off a career-high 102-point season. In the postseason, he put up 13 points in 13 games, second on the team behind William Nylander’s 15.
Tavares, meanwhile, put up 74 points in 75 regular-season games at age 34, while putting up five goals and two assists for seven points in 13 playoff games.
“I’m very optimistic that it can work out where I’m back,” Tavares said today at his end-of-season media availability, adding that he had “positive conversations” with both Leafs head coach Brad Treliving and Craig Berube early on Tuesday about returning for next season.
Tavares was arguably the highest-profile free agent signing in team history when he inked a seven-year deal with the Leafs in 2018, opting to leave the New York Islanders on a US$77-million contract. While many star players from the Greater Toronto Area have often been the centre of a media circus of whether they’ll return home to the Leafs, Tavares was the rare case where it actually happened with a player in their prime.
“There’s pressure everywhere, certainly there’s a lot of noise of playing in Toronto, but that can’t outweigh the pleasure and opportunity that it brings. There’s pressure everywhere, it’s an unbelievable place to win,” Tavares added of what he’s learned during his time in Toronto.
While Tavares was pretty clear about his desire to return, Marner wasn’t exactly ready to make such a commitment. Having become a first-time dad earlier this month to a youngster named Miles, Marner admitted that it’s a conversation he’s yet to have with his family about his next steps.
“I’ve always loved my time here. Loved being here,” Marner said. “In the next couple of weeks, I’ll sit down with my wife and we’ll start talking. Trying to figure out what’s next.”
If either player opts to hit the open market, NHL free agency officially opens on July 1, though they could re-sign with the Leafs in the coming weeks before then.