John Tavares Signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs: A New Contract is on the Table

John Tavares is easily one of the most well-respected players in the entire NHL right now, although he is going through it as he wants a new deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Overall, the Maple Leafs are a team that has to do something over the course of the summer in order to offset the inevitable loss of a guy like Mitch Marner.

Getting a deal done with Tavares is a top priority for general manager Brad Treliving, although for weeks now, it has felt like both sides have been far apart.

After scoring 38 goals last season, Tavares understandably wants his share of the pie, and he is not going to compromise. Meanwhile, Treliving and the Leafs hope for a team-friendly deal.

Previously, it was stated that the Leafs were offering Tavares a lowball offer at three years and less than $4 million per season. Now, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the Leafs offered Tavares five years at $4.2 million per season.

This would be a $21 million deal. By all accounts, it would seem as though Tavares just wants to make $20 million on his next contract, and this would get him over the finish line.

Whether or not he accepts this deal, still remains to be seen. For the Leafs, this would be the ideal scenario, and one has to wonder if they will get it done before the NHL Draft, which goes down tonight in Los Angeles.

The Leafs do not want to watch this drag out all the way until July 1st. That would simply be a disaster, and it could very well lead to the former captain testing the market.

Either way, this is going to be fascinating to watch play out, and we will make sure to cover all of the upcoming action.