The Toronto Maple Leafs are rumoured to be in contract talks with their former captain.
John Tavares is in the last year of the seven year deal he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018, and even though he is 34, he doesn't play like it.
In fact, Tavares seems to have barely aged a day since he signed, and he still gives the Leafs the best 1-2 punch in the NHL with fellow centre Auston Matthews. Other than playoff success, the Tavares Era has exceeded expectations in every possible way.
Just, not, you know, the main one that people care about. And it is for that reason that these negotiations should not even be happening.
The Toronto Maple Leafs should not re-sign John Tavares right now
The correct course of action for the Toronto Maple Leafs is to sign Mitch Marner to a contract extension. Whatever happens in the spring is irrelevant because Marner is a franchise player and having him makes winning more likely than it is without him.
The idea that the Leafs should wait and see how the playoffs go before committing to Marner is not based in on any logic, but rather just plain bad thinking. The reason it's bad thinking is because winning in the NHL is nearly random, so basing future decisions on the playoff results of a single season is idiotic.
Furthermore, Marner is one of the best and most consistant players in the NHL. He is also very good in the playoffs and the fact that Leafs haven't won while he has been on the roster is hardly his fault. He didn't choose for Tavares and Muzzin to be injured, he didn't cause Auston Matthews to be unable to shoot the puck in two of the last three playoff seasons, and he sure didn't force Brad Treliving to stick by Ilya Samsonov after he waived him.
Blaming Marner for any of the Leafs failures just shows a complete lack of imagination, and a willingness to make excuses and cast blame in order to make oneself feel better.
The point I am making is that whether the Leafs want to sign Marner or not shouldn't have a damn thing to do with what happens in this year's playoffs. If it does, it will reveal the Leafs to be an organization without the proper intelligence to think problems through critically.
As for Tavares, it would be nice to keep him, but since they almost certainly have to sign Marner in-season and first, then signing Tavares - who is not a franchise player anymore - means that they'd be "running it back" next year no matter what, even if they lose in the first round.
It seems like the clearest thing ever: Sign Marner now, and wait to see how you do in the playoffs before committing to Tavares.