Pierre LeBrun recently revealed that the Toronto Maple Leafs and the John Tavares family had contract extension talks, and that the parties are far apart. According to reports, the pending UFA received an offer for a three-year contract with a $4 million average annual value (AAV). The soon-to-be 35-year-old center just played the last year of the seven-year contract with an $11 million cap hit he signed as a free agent back in 2018, when his presence on the free agent market had caused quite a stir.
Back then, Tavares had refused to meet with the Montreal Canadiens to hear their offer, but things might just be different this time around. When the Leafs were eliminated, Tavares was very clear about his desire to come back to Toronto, but this new development might have soured his enthusiasm.
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On Sunday, we discussed the fact that the Canadiens were one of the interested teams in signing free agent Jonathan Toews. Still, they ultimately lost that battle, as the former Chicago Blackhawks captain opted for the Winnipeg Jets instead. If talks break down between Tavares and Toronto, he could be an interesting option to explore for the Canadiens.
He’s two years younger than Toews and just came off a 74-point season. Just like Toews, he was also a captain, although he was stripped of the captaincy in Toronto to give it to Auston Matthews. That was in no way an indictment of his leadership skills, but rather a way to place the team squarely in the franchise’s cornerstone’s hands. Of course, he doesn't have the same winning track record as Toews does however.
The question is, however, what kind of cap hit would Tavares be after, and would he be willing to play for the Leafs’ oldest rivals, the Canadiens? We’ve seen Josh George block a trade from the Canadiens to the Leafs because he was too used to hating the Ontario outfit.
Like Toews would have been, Tavares would be nothing more than a temporary fix to the Canadiens’ center woes, but he would be an excellent placeholder until Michael Hage has had the time to develop and turn pro. In his last four seasons, the Mississauga, Ontario native posted 76, 80, 65, and 74 points, and it’s not hard to imagine him clicking with Ivan Demidov in Montreal.
One can also wonder if the veteran might decide to head south of the border after the salary dispute he had with the Canadian Tax Authorities. However, the case has recently been adjourned. When that happens, such cases often remain dormant. Still, it could have soured Tavares on the already higher taxes in Canada.
Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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