The Toronto Maple Leafs must make a few critical roster decisions for the team's future, particularly regarding the futures of John Tavares, Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner.
The Toronto Maple Leafs want to re-sign all three players and keep them long-term. Luckily for the Leafs, the NHL salary cap will increase more than expected. $88 million is the current salary cap this season, and it is expected to climb to $92 million next season.
(Salary cap information from puckpedia.com)
An extra $4 million will go a long way in helping Leafs general manager Brad Treliving navigate his current contractual discussions with the player agents for Marner, Knies, and Tavares. Each player presents a different problem regarding a new contract.
Marner (as expected) will want to earn close to the amount that Auston Matthews is making. It's believed that the Matthews contract ($13.25 million) is the threshold that the Leafs will not pass. For Knies, the dollar amount will come down to whether Knies wants a short-term or long-term deal. It's safe to say that a long-term deal for Knies is what Treliving and the Leafs would prefer. As for Tavares, I would assume the Leafs will seek a short-term deal for the 34-year-old former captain.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Contract Talks
John Tavares
John Tavares is coming off a seven-year deal worth $77 million ($11 million AAV). According to Chris Johnston from The Athletic, the Leafs have every intent to Tavares, but only at a figure that won't jeopardize their ability to compete. One way to help keep the AAV down is by deferring some of his salary until after he retires.
Tavares is still playing close to a point-per-game pace, with 22 points through 24 games as of Friday. Re-signing him won't cost the Leafs $11 million, but he won't be cheap. A decent guess would be a four or five-year deal with an AAV of $5 million to $6 million.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)
Matthew Knies
Despite an injury in November, Matthew Knies is having a decent sophomore season with the Leafs. He has registered ten goals and six assists for 16 points in 23 games. Knies had 35 points in 80 games during his rookie season.
According to David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period, Knies and the Leafs have renewed contract negotiations. The biggest hurdle appears to be the length of the new deal. Treliving and the Leafs would prefer signing Knies long-term, but Knies seems content with a short-term bridge deal. A bridge deal (2-3 years) for Knies would likely have an AAV between $3 million and $4 million.
Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner is currently just four points off the NHL's scoring leader. He is on pace for 117 points, which would be the first time in his career that he reached the 100-point mark. Marner is one of the biggest pending free agents in the NHL, and it will not be cheap to keep him in Toronto.
Marner is coming off a six-year deal worth $65.41 million with a $10.9 million AAV. Any new deal for Marner will likely push his AAV to $12 million or higher, but not more than Matthew's $13.25 million unless it's with another team. Leafs GM Brad Treliving will do everything he can to try and keep Marner in Toronto long-term.