TORONTO — John Tavares just put his money where his mouth is, and it’s a tremendous win for his hometown club.
Sure, other Toronto Maple Leafs have professed their love for the city, their loyalty to the franchise. But we can’t recall a star player leaving millions upon millions of dollars on the table, the way Tavares did Friday, in an effort to finish the mission and help the front office with the necessary budget to do so.
Four days from unrestricted free agency, the NHL’s 67th-highest scorer of all time signed for four more years at a team-friendly $4.38-million cap hit.
Brad Treliving should forevermore refer to June 27 as Black Friday.
Because when you spot a discount this good, you pounce. Then leap for joy.
“It’s a really good day,” Treliving said, via Zoom. “The credit goes to him.
“No doubt in my mind, there was more money for John outside of Toronto. His commitment was to find a way to make it work for him in Toronto.”
Tavares felt both happiness and relief putting pen to paper on his second Leafs contract. With business accomplished, he can solely focus on prepping for 2025-26. Heck, he was working out at the Leafs practice facility Thursday.
“I get to do what I love, what I’ve been doing since I was a kid. And even though I obviously left some money out there, I’ve done pretty well. I’m still doing pretty well,” said Tavares, whose NHL earnings will near $130 million.
“I get to play for an amazing club in a great city, a place where I’m from and a team that’s got a real opportunity to win.
“Just grateful for the opportunity and the belief in myself to continue on and help the team.”
Had Tavares elected to test the open market, no other UFA could have matched his 38-goal output in 2024-25. If Sam Bennett re-ups in Florida as expected, Tavares would have been the most coveted centre on the open market.
If signing the richest contract was the objective, Tavares’s new deal could’ve eclipsed Brock Nelson’s ($7.5 million times three years) and Matt Duchene’s ($4.5 million times four years, boosted by Nashville’s buyout money).
Instead, Tavares’s agent, Pat Brisson, spent the past two weeks grinding away on a creative $18-million pact that features a $2-million signing bonus deferred five years after contract’s end to further reduce the cap hit.
Here’s the breakdown.
Year 1: $1 million base salary, $4.5 million signing bonus
Year 2: $1 million base salary, $4 million signing bonus
Year 3: $3.7 million salary
Year 4: $1.8 million salary
Deferred payment: $2 million bonus
Tavares will continue his full no-move clause in the first two years and a modified no-trade (five-team list) in the final two years.
“We tried to be as creative as we possibly could to sort of serve both masters,” Treliving said. “Trying to find a deal that’s going to work for John in terms of the dollars and work with work for us from a cap perspective.”
Point blank: Tavares chose happiness and comfort over second-line centre money, and his paycheques won’t look out of whack if or when he slides to the wing or to a 3C role into his late 30s.
Even better: The Leafs saved a financial slot to pay a different 2C — if they can find one on the trade market.
Moreover, Tavares is a leader whose work ethic and responsibility runs off the charts.
“He’s kind of the first person I think of when I see that logo,” said Matthew Knies, who will soon eat up some of the money Tavares left unclaimed.
“He took me in like I was a kid. I stayed with him for parts of my first season. And he’s been the most welcoming guy I could have named out of this group. He’s been tremendous. So, it would be challenging to walk into this room without him.”
Critics will point to Tavares’s age.
Defenders will argue that the faceoff beast slid seamlessly into the No. 1 centre role when Auston Matthews got injured and is still producing at point-per-game pace at age 34.
“We all expect aging curves to kick in at some point. John’s been able to defy it — and it’s a credit to the way he looks after himself. The commitment he has to his craft, his body, his preparation is second to none. So, we expect John to be a really good player moving forward,” Treliving said.
“If we go on a one-day road trip, you think John’s leaving for three weeks — because he’s bringing a number of bags with him, with different apparatuses that he uses off the ice for stretching and plyometrics and all sorts of things. So, it’s a lifestyle for him.”
A lifestyle that Tavares can continue to enjoy in city where he and wife Aryne are raising their three young children, with help from grandparents and friends.
The new deal signals a $6.5-million pay cut against a rapidly spiking cap.
It’s a win for Treliving’s centre depth and roster options, a victory for happiness over the almighty dollar.
Hey, Joseph Woll: Can you imagine a world where Tavares wasn’t in the room when you arrived back for training camp?
“No, I don’t want to,” Woll said. “He’s a very good man, to start. And he also cares a lot about the people, a lot about his craft. And, no, I don’t want to imagine a team without John.”
For four more years, the Leafs — and their fans — won’t need to.
