Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares has made it clear—he wants to stay in Toronto, ideally for the long haul. With his seven-year, $77 million contract entering its final season, Tavares and the Leafs have started initial discussions on an extension. According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the talks are in the early stages, with Tavares’ agent, Pat Brisson, in conversation with Leafs management. “There’s been back-and-forth between Tavares’ camp… and the Leafs front office just to get the ball rolling,” LeBrun said on Insider Trading. However, LeBrun noted, “I don’t know if there’s a huge rush from the team perspective,” suggesting Toronto may take its time.
Tavares, who was born and raised in the Toronto area, joined the Maple Leafs in the 2018-19 season and became captain ahead of the 2019-20 season. In his six years with Toronto, he has posted impressive numbers, with 184 goals and 235 assists over 440 games. Now, as he enters the last year of his contract, Tavares has passed the captaincy to Auston Matthews, whom he believes is ready to lead the Leafs. “The time was now for him to take charge,” Tavares explained, giving his full support to Matthews. For the upcoming season, Tavares will serve as assistant captain, focusing on what he calls his “one goal” with the team: bringing the Stanley Cup to Toronto.
With the new season kicking off on October 9 against the Montreal Canadiens, Tavares remains focused on his performance rather than the extension talks. “All I am going to control is go out there and play at a very high level,” he said at media day on September 18. “But obviously, I want to be here. I want to be here long term and hopefully that happens.” As the season unfolds, both fans and analysts will be watching closely to see how the Leafs handle their hometown star’s future.
