Maple Leafs' John Tavares gets concerning $7.5 million contract update

John Tavares is an interesting free agent, given his past performance, his talent and the lack of available players that align with his resume. 

That could make it tough for the Toronto Maple Leafs to get a deal done to keep him around.

Pro Hockey Rumors' Brian La Rose wrote this late on Saturday: 

"The Maple Leafs and center John Tavares are still not close on a new contract. Tavares has made it known that his desire is to remain with Toronto while the Leafs are hoping that he’ll leave some money on the table to do so.  However, he’s the top middleman in a thinning UFA group at that position and is coming off a 38-goal, 74-point season.  Realistically, he could push for $7.5MM or more on a multi-year deal if he gets to July 1st.  Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Toronto offering a long-term deal at a lower rate per season to maximize their cap flexibility this summer."

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Toronto has lots of contract questions to answer.

Mitch Marner seems most likely to leave, but he's certainly their highest-profile free agent.

Matthew Knies is a top-six forward, too, who is still a restricted free agent but eventually will have to get paid.

Tavares will turn 35 years old in September. The 2009 No. 1 overall pick clearly can still put the puck in the net, and you'd figure he has at least a few more years of doing that capably.

Whether the Maple Leafs can make all the numbers add up remains to be seen.

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