Mitch Marner is generating all the headlines. He’s the most notable Toronto Maple Leafs free agent and will likely get the biggest contract of the NHL offseason among available players.
But he’s not the only key forward from Toronto who is now facing free agency. John Tavares is in that boat, too.
Tavares is a trickier value, a 35-year old who surely will decline eventually but also just scored 38 goals.
The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn writes that Tavares will likely get more than $5 million in total contract but also potentially less than the $7.9 million projected by AFP Analytics.
In Luszczyszyn’s mind, a team may try to sign Tavares for four or five seasons to spread out his cap hit while knowing that his best play would be in the early stages of the contract.
If Tavares ages gracefully, it’s the kind of deal that could wind up being a steal. He may go for 7% of what Marner goes for but still be a strong contributor at forward for a lucky team.
Conversely, Tavares could age quickly and be an immediate sunk cost.
There’s really no way to know for sure, but there’s no doubt Tavares will be sought after by multiple teams. He’s been too good for too long for him to just fade away with no contract.
A contender will get Tavares on a team-friendly deal that has the chance to pay off in a big way if he can rattle off a couple more 30-goal seasons.
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