Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares made it clear that he was willing to stay with his hometown team, so much so that he took a discount to make it happen.
Tavares announced on Instagram on Friday that he would be re-signing with the Leafs on a four-year contract with a reported AAV of $4.38 million. Given that Tavares was reported to receive offers upwards of $7 million annually, the deal he ultimately received is one that both parties are happy with.
After signing the extension, Tavares met with reporters via Zoom to discuss the extension.
“My belief in us to win is extremely high and I want to keep forward and giving it every crack we’ve got to get where we want to get to,” he said. “I get to do what I love, what I’ve been doing since I was a kid. And even though I obviously left some money out there, I’ve done pretty well. I’m still doing pretty well.”
Tavares said he also feels good about his role on the team and thinks he can still be a difference-maker for the Leafs. Given how much he has enjoyed his time in Toronto, he admitted that he never really considered alternatives and was committed to getting something done.
“ I would say it’s a different thought process going through this contract and the previous one,” he said. “ I hadn’t had a family yet, and obviously now I got three young kids that are growing, getting into their lives are developing and whatnot. So those things come into play and are a factor.”
By accepting a hometown discount when he could have easily taken a bigger payday elsewhere, Tavares represented the change in the DNA that GM Brad Treliving was alluding to during his end-of-season media availability. The desire to win has never relinquished, but he knows that in order to win, one needs to push themselves to become better and evolve their game.
Now that his contract is done, the next order of business for the Leafs is to re-sign Matthew Knies and decide what to do with Mitch Marner. In terms of the latter, Tavares said that the team needs to be prepared for the possibility of the star winger leaving should it come to pass.
“It’s obviously unique and it’s difficult when you possibly could lose a player like (Marner) and what he brings, but you gotta move forward if that’s what happened,” he said. “Whatever happens, you never know. You always kind of hold out hope that a person and a player like Mitchie ends up staying and it works out. But you’re also realistic of the situation and where things are at and what potentially could happen. If he does move on wish him the best, but you always hold out slight hope that it works out.”
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