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Maple Leafs GM Makes Clear Statement About John Tavares Negotiations

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 6:55 AM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving spoke to reporters one last time before the NHL draft and less than a week before the start of free agency on July 1.

Judging by his words and tone, Treliving sounded increasingly confident that veteran forward John Tavares will remain in blue and white beyond this summer.

The former Leafs captain is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of next week, but according to Treliving, negotiations have been trending in the right direction.

“We’ve both expressed a shared outcome, which is (that) John wants to stay and we want to keep John,” Treliving said. “We’re moving, hopefully in a direction to bring it to closure.

"My hope is, until proven otherwise, that we’ll have a good outcome there.”

TUNE IN NOW for Brad Treliving’s end of season media availability #LeafsForever #LeafsNation https://t.co/hy16CdfDc9
— Leafs Nation (@OurLeafsNation) May 29, 2025

Tavares just completed a seven-year, $77 million contract, but given his age, it's fair to assume his next deal will have a significantly lower cap hit.

Maple Leafs management could be considering a few comparables for Tavares' upcoming deal, including the $4.5 million-per-season contract given to defenseman Chris Tanev last summer.

Meanwhile, market projections and recent signings such as Brock Nelson’s three-year, $7.5 million deal have been used as benchmarks, with Daily Faceoff projecting Tavares to sign for nearly $8 million per season.

According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, the “sweet spot” may be around $20 million over four years with a cap hit of $5 million per season.

“I believe that if the Leafs put $20 million over four years in front of John Tavares, that he would sign it,” LeBrun said. “Neither side is there quite yet, but I think that ends up being the sweet spot if this gets done here in the next seven days.”

Since the Leafs signed Tavares in 2018, the center has scored 493 points and 222 goals in 515 regular-season games in Toronto, as well as 31 points in 51 postseason outings.

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

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