Toronto Maple Leafs analyst Bryan Hayes thinks Brad Treliving and the front office have to be stern with John Tavares.
Tavares is a pending free agent after completing his seven-year, $77 million deal with the Maple Leafs. He has made it clear he would ike to return, and reports have indicated he will likely make around $7-8 million a season.
However, Hayes thinks the max Toronto should offer him is $5 million a season, especially after Matt Duchene signed a four-year deal worth $4.5 million a season with the Dallas Stars.
“That is our offer, take it or leave it. I don’t care about state tax, either,” Hayes said on OverDrive on June 19. “Four (years) by $4.5 million, if you don’t like it, no problem, we will move on. You have to start winning negotiations. What Duchene did there, let me rephrase that, maybe the state tax is $5 million max. Duchene clearly looked at it and said I want to stay here, I have a young family that likes it here, all these things we have heard from John. I think I can win here; it’s a good team.
“Basically, the same seasons, they came into the league at the same time,” Hayes continued. “Very similar. I’m sorry, if he’s going to take four by $4.5, if I’m the Leafs, how can you justify any more than that? It can’t be $7 million for four years if Duchene is $4.5 million.”
Hayes believes the Maple Leafs need to be stern with Tavares and finally win a negotiation for once. If Tavares demands more than $5 million, the analyst believes Toronto should walk away.
Analyst Doesn’t Think Maple Leafs Should Re-Sign Tavares
Although Hayes thinks the Maple Leafs should sign Tavares, his co-host and former Maple Leaf, Jeff O’Neill, doesn’t think they should.
O’Neill points to the fact that Tavares struggled in the series against the Florida Panthers as a reason why they shouldn’t bring him back, especially if he wants $7 to $8 million.
“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 added. “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 recorded 38 goals and 36 assists for 74 points in 75 games last season. In the seven games against the Panthers in the playoffs, however, he recorded 2 goals but was a -4.
Maple Leafs GM Wasn’t Committing to Tavares Being Back
After the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs, Tavares made it clear he would like to be back and expected a deal would get done.
However, at Treliving’s year-end press conference, he wasn’t fully committed to bringing Tavares back.
“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 was drafted first overall in 2009.
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