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Insider Reveals Complexities Holding Up Extension Between Tavares and Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton Imagn Images
An extension between the Leafs and John Tavares was expected already, but Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman believes the details are more complex than initally thought.
When Matt Duchene re-signed with the Dallas Stars, it was seen as a very comparable deal to what John Tavares should be signing for, given that they are the same age, produced roughly the same amount of points and are repped by the same agent.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun quickly nixed that idea this past week, noting that anything under $5M was a non-starter for Tavares.
Although the Leafs would like to bring Tavares back, and Tavares wants to remain in the blue and white, the negotiations have reportedly hit a snag after the Leafs' initial offer of a three-year deal worth less than $4M per season.
Many expect an extension to still get done, with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealing on Monday's '32 Thoughts' that all of the complexities surrounding the Toronto native's extension have prevented a deal, even though it's still very much in the works.
"I still think the Leafs would like to do something along the Tanev line for him. These teams and these agents, they think he can get what Nelson did, or right at it... I still think the key is, how do you chop it up? You can still get to that number, you can just do it differently. I don't know (if differed money is an option)."
Nelson signed a three-year deal with the Avalanche worth $7.5M per season at the beginning of June. Friedman believes that the total dollar amount ($22.5M) is what Tavares would be looking for whether that is on a short or long-term deal.
That is where the complications begin, with the two sides not only having to work out the AAV, but also the length of the contract and decide whether or not to include deferred salary as the Leafs did with Jake McCabe.
As the draft is now just a few days away, with free agency a week away, time is ticking for the two sides to find a common ground.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 24 | 4740 ANSWERS Insider Reveals Complexities Holding Up Extension Between Tavares and Maple Leafs Will John Tavares sign an extension before July 1st? | ||
| Yes | 2903 | 61.2 % |
| No | 1837 | 38.8 % |
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