Report Suggests Maple Leafs May Get Tavares Extension Done at a Remarkable Discount

Pending unrestricted free agent forward John Tavares has made it abundantly clear that he wants to remain a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the foreseeable future. However, there have been roadblocks in getting a deal done.

The soon-to-be 35-year-old won't command anywhere near his previous $11 million dollar AAV, but considering he just scored 38 goals and 74 points in 75 games, he clearly has a lot left in the tank, and could command a decent salary.

The Maple Leafs need a hometown discount for it to make sense to bring Tavares back, and that could be afforded to them if both sides can work amicably towards a resolution. Just how big that discount will be is the million dollar question.

A recent report from the JD Bunkis Podcast might have drawn out the perfect blueprint for an extension that would work for both player and team.

It was suggested that the Leafs use Chris Tanev's 6-year deal as the blueprint to help keep Tavares' AAV down. The rugged defenseman signed that long-term deal last summer with an AAV of just $4.5 million. The Leafs can offer Tavares deferred money as well, which could get the AAV under $4 million, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Deferrals haven't been used much in the NHL, but the Carolina Hurricanes used that technique on Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis, with the club shaving off a decent amount off their annual cap hits.

Yanni Gourde's recent extension with the Lightning could be a good example as well. Tampa Bay signed the veteran forward to a 6-year deal at an extremely low AAV of $2.33 million. If the Leafs can give Tavares the security of a long-term contract and find a way to shave off a bit of his cap hit to get it below $4M as Mirtle suggested, it should be a no-brainer for both sides.

At that point, the Leafs can then use the remaining cap space to extend Matthew Knies and fill out the rest of their roster.

The perfect scenario would be to use the extra money that they save on a Tavares extension to bring in a 2nd line center to allow the former captain to thrive as the team's 3C, which should give them a real advantage down the middle come playoff time.