Toronto Maple Leafs
Insider Taking Heat Over John Tavares Contract Report
TSN insider Pierre LeBrun says fans are jumping on him over his contract report involving John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently shared that Toronto fans were quick to criticize him after he reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs could have signed John Tavares as early as September—well before the former captain caught fire offensively and delivered an outstanding season. Now, any amount of money that Tavares was willing to sign for back then is likely off the table. If the Leafs want to keep Tavares, they’ll have to up their offer, suggested the NHL insider.
LeBrun appeared on OverDrive with Bryan Hayes, Jeff O’Neill and Jamie McLennan and said fans jumped all over a social media post he put up where he wrote, “Totally get why the Leafs would wait but I will say, whatever discount number was available in September has now gone up, not just because of Tavares’ strong season but also because of the escalating cap numbers announced by the NHL.”
He admitted that he hit a nerve with the fans and they came off the top rope to jump on him.
“I just pointed out that, by the way, you know, I think Tavares would have absolutely been willing to sign an extension back in September before the season even started. Because, you know, he wants to stay here. I also, as I tweeted, totally understand the Leafs wanting to wait, you know, to see how, how he was again this year, as he gets older.”
He then added, “The point I made was, very simply, and it’s probably not earth shattering… Whatever number Tavares would have probably been willing to do in September will have gone up now, at the end of this year.”
The number that was there is now gone, in part because of Tavares’ play and the fact that the salary cap is going up.
Will Tavares Take Less on His Next Contract to Stay in Toronto?
LeBrun said that he still believes Tavares is willing to take less to stay in Toronto, but there’s no reason to think the numbers are the same as they were a few months ago. The Leafs likely missed an opportunity to get Tavares re-signed for a solid discount. They might get a deal on a Tavares extension, but it won’t be as good as it could have been.
Jamie McLennan pointed out that none of this will matter if the Leafs don’t have a solid playoff run. Failure in the postseason could mean the team goes younger and finally moves some of their core pieces.
LeBrun said that was a good point but also added that he believes the Maple Leafs are better constructed for the playoffs this season. He added, “And so that’ll make things interesting from what we’re talking about, in a way, if that happens.” LeBrun believes there was some misconception about what Tavares’ deal might look like, even before he had a huge season. Now that Tavares has exploded, the number is higher than people think it’s going to be.
Hayes pointed out that it’s time the Leafs started operating as the best teams do, drawing a line in the sand and saying, ‘This is our number.’. If Tavares, despite his strong season, is open to singing it, he’ll stay. If he isn’t, the Maple Leafs have to be comfortable moving on without him.
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