The Toronto Maple Leafs have been trying to sign John Tavares, but no deal has been made ahead of free agency opening on July 1.
With the Maple Leafs having just over a week until free agency, Toronto continues to discuss an extension with Tavares. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Maple Leafs are getting creative with the contract, but Tavares isn’t biting.
“The word I’ve heard is ‘creative.’ It wouldn’t surprise me here if Toronto is trying to defer money, too. I don’t know that for sure, but I think it’s possible,” Friedman said on 32 Thoughts. “But I’ve heard that Toronto is trying to be creative, and right now Tavares isn’t biting on what they’re doing.”
Tavares completed his seven-year, $77 million deal with the Maple Leafs. He will take a pay cut, but still could get upwards of $8 million per season, if not more. But the Maple Leafs are trying to get creative by stretching the money out on the deal to get more cap flexibility.
Tavares is coming off a stellar year as he recorded 38 goals and 36 assists for 74 points in 75 games. In the playoffs, he added 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points in 13 games.
Tavares Wants to Re-Sign With Maple Leafs
After Toronto was eliminated from the playoffs, Tavares made it clear he wanted to return.
At his year-end media scrum, Tavares said he wanted to re-sign to continue to play for his hometown team.
“There’s still (some) decisions to be made,” Tavares said. “I had some positive conversations with (general manager Brad) Treliving and (coach Craig) Berube today, and I’m very optimistic that it can work out where I’m back.”
However, Treliving said he wasn’t sure Tavares would be back as he wasn’t committed to re-signing the former captain.
“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.”
Tavares is the former Maple Leafs’ captain.
Analyst Unsure Maple Leafs Should Bring Back Tavares
NHL analyst Jeff O’Neill doesn’t think the Maple Leafs should bring back Tavares.
Although Tavares has been an impactful player for Toronto, O’Neill thinks the core needs a total reset. He also points to the lack of playoff success as a reason to move on.
“If the Florida Panthers aren’t going anywhere, to your point, how they have all these guys locked in. That’s the bar,” O’Neill said on OverDrive on June 19. “You are looking to get over the hump, why is a priority that blended into a series to get over the top? Is it just cause you need a guy? There are a lot of respected players in the league, but they aren’t handed contracts.”
Tavares was selected first overall in the 2009 NHL Draft.
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