"All that said, Tavares will likely take an under-market value deal to stay in Toronto. If they use term, it could be very reasonable for the Leafs while taking some pressure off of Tavares, as he'd know where he'd play the rest of his career. With $26M to work with this summer on six roster openings, which include re-signing Matthew Knies and either re-signing or replacing Mitch Marner, a value deal on second or third line centre is too good to pass up, and the Leafs can look to make upgrades in other ways than Tavares."
"The Toronto Maple Leafs have an unfortunate number of playoff runs that have ended in despair over the past decade, but John Tavares is responsible for one of the few playoff moments fans can look back on in a positive light. In Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022-23, he scored the overtime-winning goal to send the Leafs to the second round for the first time since 2004."
John Tavares provided a rare positive playoff moment by scoring the overtime winner in Game 6 against Tampa Bay in 2022-23, sending Toronto to the second round for the first time since 2004. Tavares was set to become a free agent after the 2024-25 season, and both player and team signaled a mutual interest in staying together. Projection indicated Tavares would accept an under-market deal to remain in Toronto, helping the team manage cap space and roster openings. The Leafs ultimately signed him to a four-year contract at $4.38 million per season, likely keeping him in Toronto long-term.
Read at TheLeafsNation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]