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Maple Leafs' Humiliating Lowball Contract Offer to John Tavares Leaked by David Pagnotta

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 10:49 AM ET

John Tavares is a pending UFA, and while he's said he wants to come back to the Maple Leafs to continue his career, their embarrassing lowball contract offer to him has been made public.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have major decisions to make regarding the futures of half of their Core 4 of players.

Both John Tavares and Mitch Marner are pending UFAs, as their respective contracts expire on July 1.

Right now, it appears as though Marner is as good as gone from the club after he's allegedly refused to meet with them on a new contract and even recently cancelled his annual charity event in the city.

Tavares has openly said he wants to come back to the Maple Leafs and wants to get a new deal done, but based on Toronto's reported contract offer to him, he also may be moving on.

Per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Leafs have reportedly offered Tavares a 3-year deal with an AAV (average annual value) of $4 million.

"It sounds like the Leafs have offered a three-year deal worth under $4 million per season."
That kind of offer won't get it done.

Tavares' 7-year, $77 million contract he agreed to in 2018 paid him $11 million a year, and while there's no way he'll make that much on his next contract, being offered only $4 million annually isn't going to be enough to keep him with the Maple Leafs moving forward.

This year, he had 74 points (38G, 34A) in 75 games. In his career with the Islanders and Maple Leafs, he has 1,114 points (494G, 620A) in 1,184 games.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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