John Tavares wants to stay in Toronto but he’s going to much less to make it work for the Maple Leafs
Sportsnet: Frank Seravalli on the JD Bunkis Podcast talking about Toronto Maple Leafs pending UFA forward and former captain, John Tavares.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Bunkis: “You mentioned the Tavares thing that eventually gets done. What do you, when do you think that happens? And what does that number look like?
Seravalli: “I think they’ve engaged in some cursory conversation to, to understand and wrap their heads around what that looks like.
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It’s hard to put a number on it because I don’t know what John Tavares is thinking. Like. what is he instructing his agents to, to go out and tackle. Like I would think that something in, you know, if you could get him down to $6 million a year.
Like that seems really reasonable to me, given that, I think he’s for his, his game has evolved and changed a ton since he became a Leaf. And he’s he’s kept up with it, even though the skating hasn’t been there. He’s really developed into an unbelievable net front player that I think still has a ton of utility.
So that seems reasonable. I guess the question would be term. Like he’s made a ton. I don’t think he’s out for a lot, but what’s a respectable, fair number to present for someone that’s kind of done everything you’ve asked him to do?
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Yeah, I, will see what ends up happening there. But yeah, he seems like he’s still, well, it doesn’t seem, he’s still a very, very proud player. And so I, my read on it is he will obviously take less. He will end up staying but that it might be a little bit more than some people expected it to be when this was first kind of kicked around, that he was going to take the discount.”