Maple Leafs Urged to Reject John Tavares' Ridiculous Contract Demands
Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
The Real Kyper and Bourne Show debated whether or not John Tavares' next deal is actually worth the reported $5M price tag as the Leafs debate keeping him.
With July 1 looming in the background, the Maple Leafs need to figure out which direction they are going to go when it comes to re-signing John Tavares.
Do they end up trying a shorter deal based on his age, or sign him long-term and keep him around for good?
Or maybe they don't keep him at all. But whatever decision they come to, it's going to have big implications for not only next season but the years to come.
John Tavares' next salary cannot be $5M+: Real Kyper and Bourne
Those implications seemed to irk the Real Kyper and Bourne show a bit, and in their discussions regarding the future contract of Tavares, host Sam McKee believes that that deal's price value needs to be less than initially reported:
The whole 'DNA' thing is giving in to these guys' needs. Don't the Leafs have all the leverage here? Doesn't he desperately want to stay? It can't start with a 5.
Already expected to take a steep discount on his next deal, it's going to be a test of Tavares' loyalty to the team, and whether or not he values his personal accomplishments over that of the team's overall goals.
John Tavares is not Mitch Marner; will take a pay cut to stay
We aren't going to look at Tavares and say 'You get Yanni Gourde's deal' where it's a fairly minuscule amount annually stretched out over six years.
But there is a world where the team can both pay Tavares well and ensure that he never reaches free agency again.
He's not Mitch Marner, he's not going to suddenly spurn the team at every turn in order to do it himself; he's the polar opposite. A team player who prides himself on being a leader and a diehard Leaf through and through.
Giving Tavares a six-year, $27-million deal would give him a very respectable AAV ($4.5M), not break the bank, and if for whatever reason he ends up regressing a bit, it's a terrible contract to trade away or bury else wise.
He just put up 74 points in 75 games (38G, 36A) with his second-highest goal output since signing; plus he added great defense, and at times was the catalyst for Toronto's stagnant power play.
Fully entrenched as part of the Maple Leafs, John Tavares is going to stick around one way or another. The only question is the amount, length and it might be an overpayment a few years down the road.
But at least he hasn't acted in bad faith like some other free agents have.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 17 | 637 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Urged to Reject John Tavares' Ridiculous Contract Demands Will John Tavares re-sign for a long-term or short-term deal? | ||
| Long-term | 308 | 48.4 % |
| Short-term | 329 | 51.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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