NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic doesn’t think John Tavares will be signing for a hometown discount.
Tavares completed his seven-year, $77 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tavares has made it clear he wants to return to Toronto, and many fans had hoped he would sign for cheap to return.
However, LeBrun claims that Tavares won’t be signing for any sort of bargain, which is $5 million or less a year.
“The Leafs and John Tavares’ camp continue to talk and touched base again this week. There remains mutual interest in getting something done, but finding that sweet spot on a fair deal isn’t quite there yet,” LeBrun wrote. “The idea that Tavares might sign for a bargain $5 million AAV seems like a stretch to me. It’s going to have to be above that to get it done given the year he just had, although term is part of the equation as well.”
Tavares is coming off a stellar season at age 34, as he recorded 38 goals and 36 assists for 74 points in 75 games, as he proved he is still a solid NHL player.
But, as he continues to age, Tavares will likely end up being a third-line center, which is why the Maple Leafs were hoping to sign him for cheaper, which appears to be out of the question.
Tavares ‘Optimistic’ He Will Re-Sign With Maple Leafs
Tavares will be a free agent on July 1 and could be highly sought after if he does leave the Maple Leafs.
However, at the year-end press conference, Tavares made it clear he wants to be back. He said he was also optimistic that a deal would get done.
“I’m very optimistic that it can work out where I’m back. But, haven’t put too much thought into it,” Tavares said. “It’s only been just a number of hours since things have ended… There’s pressure everywhere. It’s an unbelievable place to play. An incredible fan base that loves its team and so badly wants to see you win. When it happens here again, it’s going to be something pretty remarkable. You want to be a part of that.”
Tavares was selected first overall in the 2009 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders. He left the Islanders to sign with the Maple Leafs in 2018 in hopes of helping Toronto win the Stanley Cup, which didn’t come to fruition.
Maple Leafs GM Noncommittal on Tavares Re-Signing
Although Tavares said he was optimistic a deal would get done, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving wasn’t.
At his year-end press conference, Treliving wouldn’t confirm that Tavares would be back, or would even be offered an extension.
“I’m a huge John Tavares fan. Had a really good discussion with him,” Treliving said. “We’ve got to take a step back, meet with our group. How do we best move forward? What are the costs? All those things that go into a contract and everything else. How does it fit within the puzzle? So, we’ll see how that happens over the course of the next couple of weeks.”
After Treliving’s comment, he was asked if that meant Tavares would get a contract offer, and he claimed the Maple Leafs are still figuring it out.
“As I said before, we’re going through that process right now,” he said.
Insider Pours Cold Water on Maple Leafs’ $77M Star Signing For a ‘Bargain’