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John Tavares

Maple Leafs Sign John Tavares To Four-Year Extension

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the final stages of signing John Tavares to an extension. The move was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. It was later confirmed by the player on the Instagram page for the John Tavares Foundation — and then by the team themselves. Dreger adds that the deal with be a four-year, $17.52MM extension with an annual average value of $4.38MM.

Tavares’ extension will include $2MM in deferred salary – a practice soon to be outlawed in the NHL’s next collective bargaining agreement, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. Johnston also shares that Tavares’ deal will carry a no-movement clause through the first two seasons, and a five-team no-trade list in the final two.

Toronto gets an important piece of business accomplished, for a price well under what many Leafs fans expected. The deal is a near-$4MM discount against Tavares’ player value, calculated by The Athletic’s statistician Dom Luszczyscyn. Tavares was coming off of a monstrous, seven-year, $77MM contract signed with Toronto on July 1st, 2018. The deal ate up 13.84 percent of Toronto’s cap-hit at the time, and often served to limit the team’s roster flexibility, alongside lofty deals for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander.

Now age 34, Tavares will drop his cap hit by nearly two-thirds, and likely ride out the remainder of his career in a Maple Leafs jersey. He’s a Mississauga native, with deep roots in and around the Leafs organization. That includes serving as the team’s captain from 2019 to 2024. He was replaced this season by Matthews.

Tavares’ last contract was often scrutinized, but his performance on the deal should be remembered fondly. He filled a hardy role as the team’s second-line center for the duration of the contract, and totaled 222 goals and 493 points in 515 games. That mark ranks third on the Maple Leafs since the start of the 2018-19 season, behind Marner (611 points in 498 games) and Matthews (595 points in 485 games). Tavares also scored 31 points in 51 playoff games in that stretch – fifth on the Leafs behind Matthews, Nylander, Marner, and Morgan Rielly.

Tavares has been a staple of every lineup he’s played for. Prior to joining his hometown Maple Leafs, he was the quintessential top-line center for the New York Islanders spanning nine seasons. The Islanders originally drafted Tavares first-overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, following the end of his exceptional status career in the OHL. He joined the team immediately following his draft, and scored an impressing 54 points in 81 games as a rookie.

His hot-start in the NHL continued to grow-and-grow over his time with the Islanders. Tavares recorded 31 goals and 81 points in the 2011-12 season, and topped that again with 38 goals and 86 points in 2014-15. By that time, he had already served two full years as the Islanders’ captain, and earned the second all-star berth of his career. Tavares would remain New York’s captain, and a perennial all-star, until he left the squad after the 2017-18 campaign.

Tavares’ departure from Long Island, NY was one of the most scrutinized moves in recent NHL history. It was seen by many as a captain abandoning his post, with a preference for the glitz and glamour of a big market. The Islanders have appeared in four of a possible six postseasons since Tavares’ departure, while Toronto has made the playoffs in every year since their big addition.

In a summer where Toronto seems headed for a sure breakup with superstar winger Marner, they’ll opt to not shake the boat too much by also losing Tavares. Instead, Tavares will remain locked-in as Toronto’s second-line center through the foreseeable future. He scored a stout 38 goals and 74 points in 75 games this season – his highest scoring pace since netting 36 goals and 80 points in 80 games of the 2022-23 campaign. Those are electric scoring totals for a player well over the hill of his NHL career. At a cheap price for the next four seasons, even two-thirds of those scoring totals would make Tavares a contract worth hanging onto.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports.

Ducks Interested In Tavares, Boeser As Marner Backup

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While the Anaheim Ducks may be prepared to offer pending free agent Mitch Marner a record-breaking offer, the team is interested in several other additions if Marner signs elsewhere. This list includes veterans John Tavares and Brock Boeser, per The Fourth Period.

Anaheim holds more than $30MM in cap space (per PuckPedia), and ownership recently discussed the desire to build a Stanley Cup-caliber team as soon as possible, setting off speculation that they’ll aggressively pursue Marner. Yet with only one winner in that sweepstakes, the Ducks are also eyeing pending free agents like Tavares and Boeser to bolster their offense.

While Marner appears almost certain to leave Toronto, Tavares remains optimistic about re-signing with the Leafs. Still, at 36, he may view Anaheim’s cap-rich, rebuilding opportunity as perhaps his final shot at a big payday. After posting 38 goals last season (his most since the 2018-19 season), Tavares proved he still has a lot left in the tank. Although his next contract won’t match his current $11MM AAV, Tavares could still land a significant multi‑year deal if he tests the open market.

Anaheim is also among a host of teams reportedly tied to Boeser. As David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reported, Boeser is a “longshot” to return to Vancouver, setting the stage for the 28-year-old sniper to hit the open market. While the interest in Boeser’s services appears lengthy, the type of deal he’ll command is a bit murkier than other pending free agents. Unlike Tavares, Boeser didn’t set the world on fire in his contract year. His goal total dropped from 40 during the 2023-24 season to just 25 last season. His points also fell by 23, and his plus/minus dropped from plus-23 to minus-25 year over year. Still, Boeser posted his sixth career season with at least 23 goals and remains on the right side of 30. The limited options in this free agent class also work to his advantage.

Heeding the turnaround desire from ownership, the Ducks have already had a busy offseason, including the hire of Joel Quenneville as head coach, trading for veteran forward Chris Kreider, and resigning pending restricted free agent Nikita Nesterenko. The team also faces a tough decision regarding goalie John Gibson, who has long been rumored to be on the trade block. Through it all, it’s expected that the Ducks will seek to add offensive firepower in free agency, with Tavares and/or Boeser potentially serving as solid backup options if they miss out on Marner.

UFA Notes: Marner, Tavares, Toninato, Del Gaizo

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As the top pending unrestricted free agent, winger Mitch Marner will have a chance to choose between a bunch of contract options.  According to Pierre LeBrun in his latest post for The Athletic (subscription link), a couple of teams believe that Marner is considering signing just a two-year deal this summer with the hopes of getting a long-term contract in place in 2027 when the Upper Limit of the salary cap is projected to be around $113MM at that time.  The value of the two-year pact would still likely surpass that of Mikko Rantanen’s AAV ($12MM) with Dallas, the new benchmark for a contract given to a winger.  The 28-year-old had 27 goals and 75 assists in 81 games this season for the Maple Leafs while adding 13 points in 13 playoff contests.

Other news regarding players set to hit the open market next month:

  • The Maple Leafs and center John Tavares are still not close on a new contract. Tavares has made it known that his desire is to remain with Toronto while the Leafs are hoping that he’ll leave some money on the table to do so.  However, he’s the top middleman in a thinning UFA group at that position and is coming off a 38-goal, 74-point season.  Realistically, he could push for $7.5MM or more on a multi-year deal if he gets to July 1st.  Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Toronto offering a long-term deal at a lower rate per season to maximize their cap flexibility this summer.
  • Pending UFA center Dominic Toninato has dropped his agent Neil Sheehy, relays Murat Ates of The Athletic (subscription link). Instead of hiring a new one, he plans to represent himself in negotiations this summer.  The 31-year-old has spent the last five seasons with the Jets although most of his playing time has come with AHL Manitoba.  Toninato was held off the scoresheet in five games with Winnipeg this season while he had 18 goals and 18 assists with the Moose.  He’s a strong candidate to sign another two-way pact with the team before much longer.
  • Defenseman Marc Del Gaizo won’t be returning to the Predators next season, reports Lower Broad Hockey’s Nick Kieser (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is eligible to become a Group Six free agent next month and it appears that he’ll test the market instead of re-signing.  Del Gaizo played in 44 games with Nashville this season, picking up nine points, 53 blocks, and 71 hits while averaging 16:45 per game.  He also suited up in 30 games with AHL Milwaukee, notching eight goals and four assists after putting up at least 30 points at that level the previous two years.

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.

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