Insider reveals John Tavares' next Maple Leafs deal could include some unorthodox clauses
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Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares is currently working on a new contract, and according to Chris Johnston, it could boast a unique structure.
The Tavares contract negotiations have been a story since the summer and fans are curious as to how it is going to go, especially after Tavares lost his captaincy to Auston Matthews.
At this stage in Tavares' career, the eight-year deals are no longer an option.
Instead, it is believed that Tavares will probably get a three-year deal and that the starting salary would be around $5 million but could go as high as $7 million.
In a new report, Chris Johnston pointed out the obvious, noting that the Leafs want to save as much money as humanly possible.
On the Leafs side of this negotiation, they naturally want to keep the contract number down. Every bit of cap space counts in Toronto.
Having said that, the team has a few options when it comes to how they would structure a new deal.
John Tavares and the Maple Leafs are still working out a deal
Johnston suggests that the Leafs will do like they did with Jake McCabe, and defer some of the money in Tavares' deal.
This would give them the space to sign Mitch Marner and others in the offseason.
Given the dynamics at play, it wouldn't be surprising if the sides landed on a compromise that sees some of the money deferred beyond the life of the next contract. The Leafs used that mechanism to lower the cap hit on Jake McCabe's recent extension and both sides in this negotiation are believed to be open to exploring a similar type of structure for Tavares.
The Leafs should be eager to sign Tavares given the fact that he has played extremely well to start the season.
In 21 games, he has a total of nine goals and 11 assists which is pretty impressive given his age.
He has definitely earned the money and no matter what, he is an experienced voice in the locker room who can helps this team win big games.
Hopefully, the deal gets done sooner rather than later, as no one wants this to extend into the offseason.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 28 | 216 ANSWERS Insider reveals John Tavares' next Maple Leafs deal could include some unorthodox clauses Do you believe that it would be smart for the Toronto Maple Leafs to sign John Tavares again? | ||
| YES | 194 | 89.8 % |
| NO | 22 | 10.2 % |
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