The Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares are still not close on a deal
The Chris Johnston Show: (Youtube) Chris Johnston on where things are between the Toronto Maple Leafs and pending UFA John Tavares.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Julien McKenzie: “CJ, as we’re days away from the start of free agency, still so many questions about a lot of pending UFAs. I want to start with the Leafs corner. What are you hearing about John Tavares and whether or not he’s close or not close to signing a new deal with the Leafs?
Johnston: “Well, he’s not close right now, at least that’s my understanding. But you know, because there are those days you’re referencing, I don’t know yet what to read into that. I don’t really want to make any predictions or be inferring anything.
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But you know, the reason this one, to me, hasn’t been as up in the air, I guess, is because clearly, both sides started wanting the same thing. You know, John Tavares, I don’t think could have been any more clear about wanting remain a Maple Leaf and the Leafs want to keep John Tavares.
But you know, in saying all that, you’ve got to find the right price. And this is a hard time right now, not just for this negotiation, not just with this team. You know, I think, in a world where the cap is jumping up to $95.5 million. You know, a lot of free agents expect to make more money in this environment. Not saying that, just about John but, but in general, when the caps going up, even the fourth liners are looking to make more money. I think, as a player, you don’t want to make a deal that might, in reverse, not look so good. And obviously a team is in the same spot.
And you know, I see this situation having some equivalencies to Steven Stamkos last year in Tampa, Tampa, in the sense that for Stamkos, there was one price in Tampa he was going to take, and then when he went to the open market, he ended up signing for $32 million in Nashville. That was, it was a different thing. He wasn’t asking for that same contract he got in Nashville and Tampa.
I think the same goes for Tavares. He knows if he’s staying in Toronto, it’s going to be for less money than what he could get on the open market. But figuring out how much less is the less is, kind of where things are gummed up at the moment.
And you know, I still think that there’s enough common ground here to find your way to the finish line. But a week out from July 1st, they’re not there yet. And you know, you start to get to where emotion comes into things a little bit. I’m sure both sides are trying to stay away from that. But you get this close, like I can, you know, it becomes quite real. And so this is a really big week to see, you know, if they can get a deal done.
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You know, I still think it’s, it’s definitely possible Tavares doesn’t sign in Toronto. I think that it’s still at a spot where it could go, you know, it could go where both sides don’t want it to go, frankly. And, and, you know, that’s, that’s what ended up happening in the Stamkos case. You know, I’m not going to jump to that conclusion just yet, because there is time to to find the way.
But, yeah, it’s, it’s getting down to kind of the, the white knuckle time of a negotiation where, you know, I think that both sides have to feel each other out. And for the, you know, the Leafs, they need centerman that that’s not a mystery. I think they need another one, even if Tavares ends up staying. But, you know, they don’t want to just sign someone at a high price just to keep him.
And for Tavares, this is real money. It’s pride. It’s all those things, you know, how much are you willing to leave on the table? I think that’s what they’re trying to work through right now.
McKenzie: “So is money, is it, we’re talk, we’re talking a couple million, holding this up? Is term part of this, too? What can you say a little bit more specifically about what’s holding up a deal from being done?
Johnston: “Well, straight up, just money. Now term is interesting, because that’s a way to sometimes bridge your gap financially. You know, if the Leafs end up stretching this deal over, say, a six-year contract, they can probably get the overall AAV down. And the reason Tavares would do that is because, if it’s spread out over six years, he still gets paid a sum of money that he deems fair for this time. And so, you know, that could end up being a solution, I would say, in this situation.
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You know, and look, we’re at a moment in time, tomorrow is probably not going to get better at his age. But we’ve just seen, you know, some players, you know, Brad Marchand is going to cash in again at age 37 in free agency.
And so, you know, there’s, there’s clearly some risk if police do a six-year deal, for example, or five five-year deal. They did one last year, though, with Chris Tanev, so there’s some precedent there. You know, I think that’s those details are kind of where it’s at.
And here’s the funny thing, as I don’t think either side knows exactly what the magic number is for each side. If that makes sense. Like I think that as much as there was talk even going back in the regular season, I don’t think there was former contract exchanges, but talk about, you know, keeping Tavares, what the deal might look like. I don’t think each side is showing its hand yet.
And, you know, sometimes in negotiations, that’s the way it goes, right? If you, you’re on the player’s end, you might say it is going to take this to sign me, and then the other side basically has a decision to make. Like, do we want to, are we willing to pay in that, or do we want to, you know, do we have to go our separate ways? Like, I still think at the bargaining table there’s, there’s a little bit of uncertainty about, you know, exactly what it’s going to take. And so I don’t have that number either.
You know, I know, looking at other comparables from recent years that, you know, the Giroux contract in Ottawa, which was three years times six and a half. You know, Anze Kopitar signed a two-year extension in LA at $7 million. Joe Pavelski, before he retired, played on, I think a $6 million deal in Dallas.
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Like, I think six-ish, six-plus was kind of the Tavares range, and obviously the Leafs would like to keep a lower in that. And but as I mentioned, there’s creative ways, and the Leafs are a creative team with their contracts. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised, I’ve said all along that I think this is one of those times a deferred money deal might even make sense. Now those are being wiped out, I believe in this next CBA, so I don’t know, better get in under the wire here. There’s a possibility that this thing, the CBA, is winding down.
But, you know, I do think there’s ways to get there. And they are still talking like, so I should say like, even though this, this doesn’t appear imminent in this moment. You know, there’s, there’s time for some movement this week.
But you know this, this is a big week around the league, right? You have the draft before the end of this week, which obviously takes up time and energy for the front offices. There’s a lot of trade chatter going on, which I think the Leafs are part of as an organization. And then we’re not too far off here from the July 1st bell ringing.
And, and you know I don’t think if it gets to that point you know obviously that tomorrow’s camp is going to have to listen to other teams. And you know, every once in a while a player gets to July 1st and stays where he is, but it’s it’s a pretty rare occurrence once you kind of open your mind to everything else out there, you’re not going back to where you were.”
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