One Significant Detail About John Tavares' Resurgent Season May Spell Trouble for the Leafs

On Thursday against the New York Rangers, Tavares reached an impressive milestone, collecting point number 1100 during a resurgent season as the Leafs' second-line center.

On Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, we saw him collect another four points, including two goals while combining for 10 points with linemates William Nylander and Bobby McMann.

His two-goal performance on Tuesday also saw him likely increase his salary on his new contract as TSN's Chris Johnston pointed out that he now leads all pending unrestricted free agents in goals with 32.

The Leafs will get some sort of discount on a new deal for the 34-year-old, but it may not be as much as initially thought despite the former first-overall pick wanting to remain in Toronto.

Intially, projections had an extension for Tavares at 3 years and between $6M and $7M, a significant discount from his current $11M salary, but given his performance this season, with 32 goals and 65 points in 64 games so far, Tavares may be looking for a few extra dollars.

The Leafs and Tavares could have very well completed an extension already, but given the lack of playoff success the team has had, the Leafs may be waiting to see how this post-season goes before making any big financial commitments.

The team may also be prioritizing an extension with restricted free agent Matthew Knies, given that Tavares has shown no signs of wanting to actually leave.