The Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares's camp, led by his agent Pat Brisson, are expected to resume contract negotiations in early June. The main focus is a two or three-year extension. Hockey insider Chris Johnston mentioned on TSN Overdrive that Tavares is willing to take a significant pay cut to stay with the Leafs.
Tavares is coming off a seven-year deal where he made $11 million a season. Expect that number to be cut in half on his next contract. The Leafs re-signing Tavares for somewhere between 5-6 million dollars on a two or three-year deal seems like a good fit for both parties. Even at 34 years old, Tavares is still producing at a point-per-game pace. He had 38 goals and 36 assists for 74 points in 75 games this season.
Keeping Tavares for his production and the amount of ice time he can play will become even more important if fellow teammate Mitch Marner leaves in free agency. It won't be easy for the Leafs to replace Marner's point production, but if they can avoid having to replace both Marner and Tavares, they should do it. Having Tavares and his 54.6% faceoff winning percentage helps the Leafs stay strong up the middle. Having Tavares, Auston Matthews, and Scott Laughton up the middle is solid depth for the Leafs.
Tavares registered seven points in 13 playoff games this year. According to sportlogiq.com, he also finished third in puck battle wins through the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs with 54 wins. Only Aleksander Barkov (55) and Matthews (67) were ahead of him. With the Leafs defense and goaltending pretty much in place for next season, it's only the forward group that needs to be addressed this off-season. Bringing Tavares back at half the cost is a win for the Leafs, as it will allow them to still have enough cap space to pursue other free-agent forwards to upgrade the lineup for next season.
Every team will tell you that acquiring depth for the center position is one of the hardest things to do. So, if the Leafs have a chance to keep their depth by bringing back Tavares, then it makes perfect sense for them to do so. I wouldn't be shocked if Tavares and Laughton get pushed down in the lineup if Leafs GM Brad Treliving can acquire a second-line center in free agency. Many have speculated that the Leafs might pursue one of Tavares' former teammates with the Islanders, Brock Nelson. Nelson had 26 goals and 30 assists for 56 points in 80 games. He also had four assists in seven playoff games with the Colorado Avalanche. Nelson is coming off a six-year deal with an AAV of $6 million.