John Tavares gets candid about taking hometown discount for Maple Leafs to agree four-year contract extension

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares signed a contract extension with the team on Friday. The Toronto Star reported the deal as a four-year pact with an AAV of $4.38 million.

The overall price tag on the contract is surprising, as outlets such as The Athletic speculated that Tavares could have gotten upwards of $7 million per season.

That situation has prompted discussion of a “hometown” discount Tavares gave the Maple Leafs in his extension. Following news of the extension, Tavares had this to say per Luke Fox:

“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."

The “money out there” is a reference to what Tavares could have landed on the open market. With a relatively free-agent market this season, Tavares was a target on several teams’ radars.

But Tavares got what he wanted, which was remaining in Toronto for what could be the rest of his career.

The 34-year-old is coming off a bounce-back season in which he scored 38 goals. Tavares relinquished his captaincy last summer in favor of Auston Matthews.

Maple Leafs sign Tavares well below market estimate

Tavares' contract extension could mean he'll end his career in Toronto - Source: Imagn

Had John Tavares gone to market, he could have landed a significant payday. The Athletic estimated, in its NHL Free Agency Big Board, that Tavares was worth a three-year deal at an AAV of $7.9 million.

While the estimated deal was nowhere near his seven-year $77 million contract signed in 2018, teams would have been eager to pay for Tavares’ elite faceoff skills, high hockey IQ, and strong offensive production.

Tavares’ reputation as a solid leader and good clubhouse presence would have enticed younger teams to bring Tavares into the fold.

Suitors such as the Montreal Canadiens, among other rebuilding teams, were reportedly interested in signing the former first-overall pick from 2009.

With the deal, the Toronto Maple Leafs still have over $21 million in projected cap space for next season. The club will be looking to replace Mitch Marner as he’s expected to depart this offseason.

The Maple Leafs still have one major free agent to sign. Matthew Knies is an RFA and will be looking to get a deal done before July 1. The Leafs are hoping to avoid the risk of an offer sheet on the 22-year-old power forward.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan