A John Tavares contract comparable has been revealed following Pierre Lebrun's report
The Leafs would like to re-sign John Tavares, and now NHL insider Pierre LeBrun has revealed what a John Tavares contract comparable could look like.
On Tuesday, Frank Seravalli of 'Daily Faceoff' sent some shockwaves through Toronto when he reported that the Maple Leafs and John Tavares are getting close on their contract talks.
In fact, per the insider, negotiations seem to be trending toward an in-season extension. But late in the afternoon, TSN's Pierre LeBrun dialed it back a notch, reporting it wasn't quite that done.
"I don't think anything is imminent there at this point. I think part of that ongoing dialogue is certainly both sides want to see where the salary cap is headed.
We were at the Board of Governors last week and we know there are two possibilities there: $92.5 (million) for next year or a higher cap. Every dime counts when you're the Maple Leafs."
- Pierre LeBrun
We were at the Board of Governors last week and we know there are two possibilities there: $92.5 (million) for next year or a higher cap. Every dime counts when you're the Maple Leafs."
- Pierre LeBrun
What is the holdup? According to the report, both sides want to wait for more updated salary cap projections before striking a deal.
As if adding to the conversation, TSN's Darren Dreger recently suggested the Leafs should look to keep John Tavares' next deal at or below $5 million annually.
As Pierre LeBrun noted, though, Tavares' comparables, guys like Claude Giroux and Anze Kopitar, bring in more than $5 million per year.
"Contract comparables that I know that has been talked about in that negotiation; Claude Giroux, 3x$6.5M that he signed in 2022 [and] Anze Kopitar, a 2-year extension, $7M a year.
Those are contracts certainly that I think are in the ballpark of what Tavares and the Leafs are talking about.
One contract that I don't think that Tavares' camp has brought up is Steven Stamkos' 4 x $8 million a year. I think that Tavares aims to be lower than that if this gets done with Toronto at some point.
They want to be fair, they also want to remain a Maple Leaf, so both sides I think would mutually like to get this done at some point before July 1."
- Pierre LeBrun
Those are contracts certainly that I think are in the ballpark of what Tavares and the Leafs are talking about.
One contract that I don't think that Tavares' camp has brought up is Steven Stamkos' 4 x $8 million a year. I think that Tavares aims to be lower than that if this gets done with Toronto at some point.
They want to be fair, they also want to remain a Maple Leaf, so both sides I think would mutually like to get this done at some point before July 1."
- Pierre LeBrun
The over/under on Tavares' new deal is probably the $8 million AAV Steven Stamkos signed for this summer, but he probably won't dip too far below the bar set by Giroux and Kopitar.
What will remain to be seen is in the fine print, term, and dollar amount, on Tavares' next contract. One thing for sure, though, is that this 34-year-old center has come out guns blazing for this pivotal contract year with the Leafs.
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