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John Tavares

Maple Leafs Notes: Tavares, Marner, Matthews, Nylander

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The head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Craig Berube, has addressed Mitch Marner and John Tavares’ upcoming unrestricted free agency. According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, when asked if he’d like them to return, Berube said, “100%.”

The news comes with little surprise, as few coaches would want 176 points to walk away for nothing. Still, a report from TSN’s Chris Johnston a few days ago suggested there’s no guarantee Marner will re-up with the Leafs this summer.

There’s more room for optimism when it comes to Tavares. Aside from Berube’s desire to have him back, Toronto’s former captain shared with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period today that he believes he’ll sign a new deal with the Maple Leafs, and has already spoken briefly to General Manager Brad Treliving.

Other notes from the Maple Leafs:

  • In a vague comment passed along by Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said he’s been dealing with a ’mystery’ injury since training camp, and it flared up throughout the regular season and playoffs. Matthews played in fewer than 70 games for the first time since the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 NHL season, and achieved his lowest goal total since his junior campaign in 2018-19.
  • There’s a chance that host country of the 2025 IIHF World Championships, Sweden, could get a major boost to their roster before the playoff round begins. According to Chris Johnston, William Nylander is contemplating joining his home country for the remainder of the tournament. Nylander hasn’t played in the international tournament since 2022, when he scored three goals and two assists in three games.

Maple Leafs Notes: Marner, Tavares, Berube, Game 7 Offense

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With yet another Game 7 loss in the books, there’s little doubt that Mitch Marner’s future lies somewhere other than Toronto, writes Chris Johnston of The Athletic. After his first 100-point regular-season performance, Marner didn’t record a point in last night’s season-ending loss and saw only 18:43 of ice time, his lowest of the 2025 playoffs. He recorded eight points in six games against the Senators in the first round but had just one point and a minus-three rating in Games 4 through 7 against Florida.

As Johnston wrote following the Leafs’ Game 5 loss to put them on the brink of elimination, Marner testing the unrestricted free agent market this summer is nearly a given. In his media availability following last night’s loss, he referred to his Toronto tenure in the past tense:

“It meant everything. (They) took maybe a risky pick on a small kid from Toronto and I’ve been forever grateful to be able to wear this Maple Leaf, and be a part of some of the great legends here and be able to wear this jersey.”

Letting Marner walk will, of course, free up all of his $10.9MM cap hit to spend elsewhere on the roster. Retaining him on a long-term deal would have likely cost them an additional $2MM per season, if not more – TSN’s Darren Dreger said last night that an eight-year, $13.5MM AAV offer was on the table at some point (via Nick Barden of The Hockey News). Whether that flexibility is spent wisely will determine how quickly Toronto can execute a retool without their top scorer.

There’s more on the Leafs:

  • Former captain John Tavares, also a pending unrestricted free agent, had a much different tone last night. He made it clear in no uncertain terms that he wants to come to terms on an extension to continue his career in Toronto (via TSN), although it’ll need to be at a considerable discount from his expiring $11MM cap hit. There were some extension talks during the season, but it’s not clear how close the two sides got to an agreement. The 34-year-old managed nearly a point per game in the regular season but only had a 5-2–7 scoring line in 13 postseason games, including a four-game point drought to end the playoffs.
  • While last summer’s coaching change did help propel the Leafs out of the first round for the second time in three years, it didn’t get them to the Conference Finals for the first time in the salary cap era. “I think this team has fire,” bench boss Craig Berube told James Mirtle of The Athletic. “I can’t explain (what happened) right now, nor do I want to, (with Game) 5 and (Game) 7 at home. Obviously (there are) things that we have to look at and talk about as an organization.”
  • The Maple Leafs’ powerhouse offense cocooning, not necessarily defensive missteps, have been what’s cost them in past Game 7s. That trend continued in 2025, with Max Domi’s early third-period goal registering as Toronto’s only output for the night. As The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel points out, Toronto has now been limited to just one goal in a remarkable five straight Game 7s.

Johnston: “Zero Reason” To Believe Mitch Marner Signs Extension With Maple Leafs

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Regardless of his lack of postseason success, Mitch Marner has done enough to go down as one of the better players in Maple Leafs franchise history. But as the end of his six-year, $65.41MM contract looms, it’s almost a certainty the top pending unrestricted free agent will indeed test the market this summer, writes Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

When Marner reportedly declined to waive his no-movement clause in a deal at the deadline that would have sent him to the Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen, some believed he did so in hopes of continuing extension talks with Toronto. That wasn’t necessarily the case, Johnston notes. While the Leafs were interested in in-season extension talks, Marner’s camp has refused to negotiate during the campaign.

“There’s been a growing sense that the 28-year-old winger wants a fresh start after enduring an avalanche of criticism for his team’s repeated playoff shortcomings,” Johnston writes. The dynamic playmaker and longtime Auston Matthews linemate is coming off a career-high 75-assist, 102-point performance in the regular season. He’s still over a point per game in this year’s playoffs (2-10–12 in 11 GP), but he’s gone without a point in back-to-back contests in the second round as the Panthers have won three straight to erase and reverse Toronto’s 2-0 series lead. The Leafs now enter a must-win scenario on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions tonight.

Most believe general manager Brad Treliving’s top offseason priority is reserving cap space for pending restricted free agent Matthew Knies, and for good reason. The 22-year-old power forward had 29 goals and 58 points in 78 regular-season games alongside Matthews and Marner and is averaging nearly 21 minutes per game in the playoffs with five goals. They’d presumably like to get it done quickly to remove the threat of an offer sheet. That leaves the Leafs, who have just five goals from their bottom-six forwards in terms of ice time in the playoffs, with little maneuverability to add scoring depth if big-ticket extensions are handed out to both Knies and Marner (let alone second-line center John Tavares).

As for Marner, it’s not yet clear where he’d be interested in signing this summer. It likely won’t be until after Toronto’s postseason run ends. It’s almost guaranteed he’ll earn a raise of at least $2MM per season on his current $10.9MM cap hit on a max-term deal, though. His 520 assists since he entered the league in 2016-17 are fifth in the NHL behind Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, and Artemi Panarin.

There’s a legitimate chance Tavares is gone for no return this summer as well, Johnston writes. It’s less likely than Marner’s departure at this stage – after all, he’s been open to in-season extension talks, unlike Marner. Retaining the 34-year-old, who’s coming off a 74-point season, on a short-term deal does allow the Leafs to get more creative by replacing Marner’s scoring by committee on the wings because they don’t have to worry about finding a new second-line anchor, at least for now.

Atlantic Notes: Pastrňák, Lauko, Xhekaj, Tavares

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Team Czechia got a boost to their repeat efforts for the 2025 IIHF World Championships. The Boston Bruins announced that star winger David Pastrňák and depth forward Jakub Lauko would play for their native country during this year’s rendition of the international competition.

It’ll be the sixth time Pastrňák has played in the tournament, as he’s usually joined Team Czechia relatively quickly after the Bruins have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. He helped Czechia win the gold medal last year, tallying one goal in four contests. Throughout his career, Pastrňák has scored 14 goals and 30 points in 32 tournament contests, additionally helping Czechia to a bronze medal in 2022.

Meanwhile, Lauko will participate in his first international tournament since the 2019-20 IIHF World Junior Championships. He was typically an unnoteworthy player in those tournaments, scoring one goal and three points in 12 games throughout three tournaments.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Due to some extracurricular activity before Game 4 between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals, the league’s Department of Player Safety decided to bestow some punishments. The Department of Player Safety announced they’ve fined Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, for unsportsmanlike conduct during warm-ups of yesterday’s contest. The league didn’t allude to any specific actions from Xhekaj, but he was seen exchanging words with a few Capitals players from his side of the red line.
  • Despite failing to close the series in Game 4, the Toronto Maple Leafs have avoided a serious injury to one of their top centers. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, a concussion spotter pulled Maple Leafs forward John Tavares during overtime in Game 4, but he cleared the tests to return. The concussion spotter’s worry likely came from Tavares receiving a high hit from Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub in front of Ottawa’s net, which made contact with Tavares’ head.

John Tavares Remains Open To Negotiations During The Season

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TSN is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares remains open to negotiating a contract extension during the season and would like to stay in Toronto. Tavares told the media that Maple Leafs management knows how he feels, and he is aware that management wants to take their time in dealing with his contract situation.

Tavares is in the final year of a seven-year $77MM contract that he signed as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2018. The deal was signed at a time when the salary cap was expected to rise significantly, but that didn’t happen as the pandemic shortened seasons, flatlined league revenues, leading to a stagnant salary cap that handcuffed the Maple Leafs’ management from making other roster additions.

Tavares is unlikely to match the $11MM AAV on his next deal but should still get a lucrative multi-year deal. At 34 years of age, Tavares has slowed down but remains a near point-per-game player this season, tallying 24 goals and 29 assists in 55 games despite getting less ice time and less opportunity on the powerplay. Tavares has benefited this year from a 108.3 PDO (shooting percentage + save percentage) but that number is only slightly higher than his career average of 104.7.

The Maple Leafs have significant work to do this summer with Tavares and Mitch Marner both set to become UFAs. The priority will likely be Marner given his age and current play, however, Tavares would become one of the top available free agents if he does reach the market and would garner a lot of interest.

Maple Leafs Activate John Tavares And Matthew Knies, Assign Nikita Grebenkin To AHL

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The Maple Leafs will welcome back a pair of key forwards for their game tonight against Edmonton.  Head coach Craig Berube told reporters including David Alter of The Hockey News that center John Tavares and winger Matthew Knies will suit up against the Oilers.  After sending Jacob Quillan down yesterday, Toronto needed to make one more roster move to add both players to the active roster.  Per the NHL’s media site, that move was returning winger Nikita Grebenkin to AHL Toronto.

Tavares missed the last couple of weeks due to a lower-body injury after getting injured in practice when his skate collided with teammate Chris Tanev’s.  Despite the short-term setback, it has been a solid season for the 34-year-old pending unrestricted free agent.  Tavares has 20 goals and 22 assists through 44 games this season while winning nearly 57% of his faceoffs and will return to anchoring Toronto’s second line.

As for Knies, he only missed a week and a half due to an upper-body injury that he clarified was a shoulder issue.  The sophomore has already passed his goal total from a year ago (15) as he has 18 goals and 13 assists through 47 games.  Knies has spent a lot of time on the top line which has him well-positioned heading into restricted free agency this summer and is expected to line up on that unit again tonight.

Grebenkin, meanwhile, was recalled last weekend when Connor Dewar landed on IR.  However, while he got into seven games with the big club earlier in the season, he didn’t see any game action this time around.  The rookie has eight goals and eight assists in 29 games with the Marlies in his first season of action in North America.

Maple Leafs Place John Tavares On Injured Reserve, Out Week-To-Week

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The Maple Leafs announced they’ve placed center John Tavares on injured reserve with the lower-body injury he sustained in practice yesterday, ruling him out of the club’s next four games.  Youngster Fraser Minten was recalled from AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction and will likely suit up in tonight’s game against the Devils.

Tavares left practice favoring his right leg after getting tangled up with defenseman Chris Tanev during a power play drill. The team later said he’ll be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.

It’s a big blow for the Leafs down the middle in particular but also for the forward group as a whole, which was as healthy as it had been all season save for the lingering absence of Calle Järnkrok after he underwent sports hernia surgery in November. Tavares had been running cold before the injury, going without a point in his last three games, but he still ranks second on the club in both goals (20) and assists (22) as he looks replenished following a trying 2023-24 campaign. His usual line with Max Pacioretty and William Nylander has outscored opponents 9-7 at even strength in over 155 minutes together this season.

Whoever moves up to replace Tavares down the middle on the second line remains to be seen. It could be the 20-year-old Minten, who didn’t look entirely out of place during a call-up earlier this season with a pair of goals and assists for four points in 11 games. His possession numbers weren’t good, only controlling 39.9% of shot attempts at even strength, but those should be boosted if he’s playing with better competition. His minutes earlier this season primarily came between Steven Lorentz and Nicholas Robertson while Toronto was dealing with injuries to nearly half their forward group.

It could also be a chance to jumpstart the struggling Max Domi, who’s shooting at an abysmal 5.5% for just three goals through 37 games. He’s still managed 12 assists for 15 points, tying for eighth on the team in scoring, but it’s not the production the Leafs envisioned from the 29-year-old after they signed him to a four-year, $15MM extension last offseason.

In any event, the Leafs are now without the services of one of their top point-getters as they look to reverse a three-game losing streak against former head coach Sheldon Keefe tonight. After tonight, three of their next four games are against divisional opponents, and they’re all potential playoff previews against the Lightning, Canadiens, and Senators.

Minten, selected 38th overall in 2022, has 10 points and a minus-four rating in 16 AHL appearances this season. He missed significant time at the beginning of the campaign with a high ankle sprain sustained in rookie camp.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Atlantic Injury Notes: Lyon, Motte, Tavares, Samuelsson

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The Red Wings are close to having netminder Alex Lyon back in the lineup, as head coach Todd McLellan told reporters Wednesday (including Daniella Bruce of the team’s official site) he’ll travel on their upcoming four-game road trip. They don’t have a specific date circled for his return, so he likely remains unavailable tonight against the Panthers, his former team. This is the third injury-related absence of the season for Lyon, who missed a combined 12 games with a lower-body injury before New Year’s and has now missed the last three games with an upper-body injury he sustained on Jan. 7 against the Senators. Lyon has a .902 SV% and 2.71 GAA in 16 appearances, translating to 1.4 goals saved above expected (per MoneyPuck). Struggling veteran Ville Husso will continue serving as Cam Talbot’s backup.

All-positions forward Tyler Motte is also dealing with an upper-body injury he sustained on Tuesday against the Sharks and won’t join the team to begin the road trip, McLellan said (via Carley Johnston of the team’s official site). The coach added that he hadn’t been ruled out for all four games and could fly out to meet the team later. After struggling with nine points in 69 games last year for the Lightning, Motte went pointless in his first four games of the year before missing significant time with a previous UBI. Upon returning, Motte was a frequent healthy scratch but has worked his way up into a more stable spot in the lineup, dressing in eight straight. His return to the lineup after a pair of scratches coincided with the beginning of the Wings’ seven-game winning streak that ended Tuesday, during which span he had a pair of assists and a minus-four rating.

More health news from around the Atlantic Division:

  • The Maple Leafs may be without center John Tavares for tonight’s game after the star sustained an apparent right leg injury during yesterday’s practice. Head coach Craig Berube told reporters, including David Alter of The Hockey News, that he didn’t see the play happen and that the former captain was still being evaluated. Tavares hasn’t been held out of action since a one-game absence due to illness in the third game of the campaign. The 34-year-old pivot has enjoyed a rebound from last year’s dip in production, clicking around a point per game once again with 42 in 44 contests.
  • Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson returned to the lineup in last night’s win over the Hurricanes after missing a pair of games due to illness. The still-developing shutdown man logged nearly 20 minutes. He posted a plus-one rating in the team’s narrow 4-2 victory, in which they managed to record a goal on no shots in the third period after Ryan McLeod was awarded an empty-netter on what otherwise would have been a penalty shot thanks to a Brent Burns slash. Samuelsson was again hamstrung by injuries in 2024-25, missing 12 games with a lower-body issue earlier in the year. When in the lineup, he has five points and a minus-seven rating while averaging 18:25 per game, his lowest usage since his rookie season.

Maple Leafs Notes: Matthews, Tavares, Shaw

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Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews is still feeling the effects of the upper-body injury that sidelined him for nine games earlier this season, head coach Craig Berube told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. Berube shared that Matthews is fighting through the ailment and that the team is managing his load while he returns to full health. No injury specifics were provided, and Berube didn’t seem to suggest Matthews would need to miss any additional time.

Matthews may not look as fluid as normal, but he’s certainly appearing on the scoresheet all the same. He’s recorded points in all but two games since returning on November 30th – totaling five goals and 11 points, good for second on the team in both categories. The hot return slots Matthews in at fourth on the Leafs in scoring on the year, and third on the team in points-per-game, with 22 points in 23 games this season. Digging even deeper, Matthews’ goal in Toronto’s December 14th win over Detroit was his 50th of calendar year 2024. He’s now totaled at least 50 goals in each of the last four calendar years – making him the ninth player in league history to achieve such a feat. The record for that category is split between Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy, who each managed the feat in seven straight years, per Rotowire.

In additional Maple Leafs news, former captain John Tavares is hoping to sign an extension with the club, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast. Friedman pointed out how Tavares’ has adjusted to new head coach Berube as a big contributor to the veteran wanting to stay. Tavares’ last contract negotiations with Toronto were legendarily contentious. He signed a seven-year, $77MM deal with the club on July 1st, 2018.

It was one of the league’s priciest contracts at the time, and more notably pulled Tavares away from the New York Islanders, where he spent the prior nine seasons. Tavares was a star with the Islanders, posting 621 points across 779 games with the club and even earning their captaincy. The Ontario native has since become vilified by Long Island hockey fans, though he’s continued to score at an incredible rate with the Leafs. Tavares has 448 points in 471 games in Toronto, including a career-high 88 points scored in 2018-19 – his first year with the club. A new deal will likely come with a significant decrease in pay – especially with Mitch Marner’s extension looming – but Tavares is still likely to be paid handsomely for his production out of a middle-six role. He ranks third on the 2024-25 Leafs in scoring, with 29 points in 31 games, despite averaging the least ice time of any of the top six scoring leaders.

Continuing updates for Toronto captains, the AHL’s Toronto Marlies have signed forward Logan Shaw to a two-year contract extension. Shaw has been the Marlies’ captain for the last three seasons, after serving two years as the Belleville Senators ’C’. He’s been fantastically productive with the Marlies, totaling 144 points in 160 games with the club. That includes Shaw’s 17 points in 23 games this season, which ranks third on the minor-Toronto in scoring. The new deal will take Shaw through his age-34 season, and his 14th professional season.

Maple Leafs Have Discussed Contract Extension With John Tavares

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The Maple Leafs have two prominent pending unrestricted free agent forwards in winger Mitch Marner and center John Tavares.  While it appears that there haven’t been many discussions with Marner, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reported in a recent TSN Insider Trading segment that Toronto has engaged in talks with Tavares though obviously, the two sides aren’t in agreement on a new deal just yet.

Tavares signed a seven-year, $77MM contract with his hometown team back in 2018 and while the $11MM price tag was among the league leaders at the time, the 34-year-old has delivered.  Tavares has three seasons of at least 76 points over that span and overall, has 440 points in 462 games with the Maple Leafs.  That 0.952 points-per-game average is actually slightly better than the 0.928 he put up with the Islanders.  His playoff performance hasn’t been as strong, however, as Tavares has collected 24 points in 38 postseason outings with Toronto.

But while Tavares has produced at or near the level of a top-line center for the majority of his time with Toronto, it’s also fair to assume it’s unlikely this will be the case much longer; he’ll be entering his age-35 season in 2025-26.  While he could still put up above-average production for a little while longer, he’s certainly not going to be able to command $11MM on the open market at this stage of his career.  Accordingly, a drop in pay is a near certainty.

How much of one is the big question.  At this point, he’s still producing as a top-six forward at a minimum so it’s not as if Toronto can conceivably ask him to cut that price tag in half (or by even more) even though, as Johnston noted, Tavares has made it clear he doesn’t want to test free agency and wants to remain with the Maple Leafs.  His value on the open market might still be in the $7MM to $8MM range if he were to actually make it there.

One way around that might be to utilize deferred compensation.  Carolina utilized that with a pair of contracts over the summer while the Maple Leafs also took advantage of it on the recent Jake McCabe extension.  Using deferred salary would allow the cap hit to go a bit lower while still giving Tavares’ camp the total compensation it might be seeking.  How long he’d have to wait for that deferred salary would ultimately dictate how much cap savings Toronto could receive.

At his age, it’s quite possible that this is the final contract that Tavares receives so there is a bit of incentive to consider deferred salary when he’d be in a lower tax bracket and potentially a jurisdiction with lower tax rates.  We’ll see in the coming weeks if that’s enough to bridge the current gap between the two sides to keep Tavares in Toronto a little longer.

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