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Darren Dreger Predicts What John Tavares' Next Maple Leafs Contract Could Look Like

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 6:27 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs and pending free agent John Tavares appear headed toward a new deal, but it could look very different from the contract that brought him home in 2018.

With the veteran center set to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1, NHL insider Darren Dreger believes the Leafs are exploring a discounted extension at the expense of signing Tavares to a longer-term deal.

Even then, Dreger thinks Tavares wouldn't have a problem with earning a lower yearly salary over a longer period of time.

Tavares just completed a seven-year, $77 million contract and finished last season with 38 goals and 74 points in 75 regular-season games. He also had seven points in 13 postseason outings.

“Everybody wants this guy to take a mammoth haircut. There's no doubt he is going to, and he's okay with that at this point in his career,” Dreger said Tuesday on TSN's "First Up" show. “But the guy made $11 million flat. He's worth more than that.”

Dreger suggested the Leafs could follow the growing league trend of offering longer-term deals with lower average annual values to manage the cap hit.

“I expect that’s what’s going to happen with Tavares,” Dreger said. “It’s going to be a term much longer than most people would be comfortable with, but that’ll help bring the AAV down with deferred money and all that.”

Tavares, meanwhile, made clear he wants to stay in Toronto during the end-of-season media availability.

“Obviously, I’ve expressed my desire to stay and make it work,” Tavares said. “Very optimistic that we can work something out where I’m back, but obviously haven’t put a lot of thought into it, it’s only been a couple of days.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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