Insider: Tavares Deal with Maple Leafs’ Hinges on Bottom-Line AAV

TSN’s Darren Dreger was a guest on First Up Friday and was asked about the report that the Toronto Maple Leafs and forward John Tavares are working on an extension. It was Dreger’s colleague Chris Johnston who reported that several options were on the table, including a deferred salary deal that would see Tavares make less per season while playing and more when his contract was done.

Dreger didn’t confirm or deny that there were extensive conversations in that regard, but he did note that the Leafs were going to have to get creative because they’ve likely got a bottom-line AAV figure they can afford and don’t want to exceed.

This morning on #FirstUp, @DarrenDreger joined the show to share how he thinks the negotiations between #LeafsForever and John Tavares will play out.

Listen to Dreger's full interview HERE: https://t.co/pOkHfe4TWB pic.twitter.com/rA8wdtMjkI

— First Up (@FirstUp1050) November 29, 2024

Dreger explained:

“The bottom line is going to be, you know, what’s a fair number? What is that fair AAV? I don’t think it can be $5 million. I think it has to be below that. And if you’re Tavares, maybe you are, you know, looking at it and thinking, ‘Well, I just put up big numbers, and I feel really, really good. I think I’ve got at least two more years of that in me.’ Then it becomes more of a negotiation of creativity.”

The Maple Leafs Want to Hang Onto Tavares

Dreger added that the Maple Leafs want to keep Tavares in the mix for several reasons. He’s a “good guy to have in the community, he’s great in the room, and he produces on a game-in and game-out basis.” Still, Dreger says that it’s only worth so much and the Maple Leafs simply can’t afford to go beyond $5 million.

Dreger noted, “But I don’t think they can have him making $5 million. It’s got to be less than that. How do you get there? That’s going to be the challenge.”

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