John Tavares Shares Major Update on Contract Talks with Maple Leafs

After another disappointing end to their season, the Maple Leafs held the end of season press conference for the media. It was a good insight into what we can expect next season, though it came with a lot of questions too; mainly regarding the roster.

Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies are all free agents, and with questions surround the former, Toronto wants to zero in on at least the last two.

Speaking of, Tavares was one of the player who spoke to the media on Tuesday and confirmed that once again not only did he want to be back, but that talks are progressing well towards doing so.

It echoes the sentiment we heard all season that Tavares wanted to stay put, and the fact they are already working on a deal is a positive sign for both the former captain and the team.

Figuring out Tavares' deal will allow them to focus on whether or not they want to re-sign Mitch Marner and get ready to offer Knies a mega-deal to be a Leaf for the long-term.

It also gives him the financial flexibility and comfort of knowing he is going to get a reasonable deal with a team he wants to play for, and keeps his childhood dream alive.

However him staying also closes the door on one of the top free agents on the market, which would make an offer for Marner even more expensive than it already is expected to be.

His next deal is a separate topic of discussion however it's expected that Tavares is going to take a bit of a hometown discount from his $11M per year contract he's coming to the end of.

Look for a potential $6-8M deal for the former captain, and probably in the range of 3-4 years which would all but assure he ends his career with his hometown team and still gives him a chance to win with Auston Matthews and company.

Tavares enjoyed a bounce-back season after there were questions about his age and regression. He came out with a vengeance, scoring 74 points in 75 games (38G, 36A) and put up the second-highest goal total in his time with Toronto.

Nothing is set in stone as of yet, and the fact the team still has a lot of other issues to attend to might make this anything but a foregone conclusion.

But things are looking like John Tavares will be back for next season, giving it yet another go at a Stanley Cup, hoping for a much different result.