According to one report, the Toronto Maple Leafs might be preparing to lowball John Tavares with their next contract offer.
Many eyes will be on the core four as the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare for the playoffs and wind down their season. In particular, attention will be focused on John Tavares and his production as he approaches the last year of a long-term contract he signed with the team in 2018. Tavares will have to be crucial if the Leafs are to have any success. If they don’t, there will be concerns about what to do with him given his advanced age and excessive salary.
33-year-old Tavares, who was selected first overall in the 2009 draft, is still a major player in the league. Nevertheless, he has changed as a player, and his contentious $11 million deal is set to expire at the end of the current campaign. Given that he has never scored more than 88 points in a season and that the Leafs need to find other ways to make ends meet, they won’t be prepared to put up the money to keep him around.
The NHL Maple Leafs’ John Tavares
Even though Tavares is one of the most paid players in the game, his output isn’t on par with his colleagues’. Tavares falls short of others in a comparable salary range who have incredible point totals, which begs the question of the worth of his contract.
Given this, some propose that the Maple Leafs offer Tavares a lower contract in order to take a calculated risk in the next negotiations. Furthermore, we’re not merely discussing a reasonable offer that is less than what he could get from a different team. No, the next contract offer from the Maple Leafs should be lowballed.
It’s argued that Tavares’ ambition to play for his hometown team and win a Stanley Cup may outweigh financial considerations, despite possible backlash. Here, the Leafs have the upper hand. They are aware that he has no desire to travel. They most likely already know he will retire before he thinks about joining another team.Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic claims that Tavares is the next Jason Spezza, Joe Thornton, and Mark Giordano, drawing comparisons to former players who put their loyalty to the Maple Leafs above their own interests. Tavares may provide the Maple Leafs more financial freedom to bolster their roster, especially in areas where they are weak, like defense, by taking a smaller contract. And he walks when he does.
