Uh oh… The Leafs probably didn’t see this coming and now, the veteran forward be playing his final season in Toronto. Full details below:

Veteran forward John Tavares is going beyond expectations this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is a great thing. But also, not so much…

There is a feeling in Toronto that Tavares is currently pricing himself out of the Maple Leafs’ plans once his current contract expires and he can become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Tavares is now up to 15 goals and 28 points in 28 games so far in 2024-25, and has lead his team sit at the top of the Eastern Conference in great position for a long playoff run. It makes sense that he is earning $11 million per season.

However, if he wants to stay put in Toronto, there is no way the Maple Leafs can afford him at that price, and for months now, rumours of a hometown discount have been mentioned in all conversations including Tavares.

Recently, insider Pierre LeBrun provided some comparable for a potential contract agreement between Tavares and Toronto, claiming that he could work out a deal similar to the ones signed by Claude Giroux and Anze Kopitar. Giroux signed a three-year, $18.5M deal with Ottawa in 2022, while Kopitar extended himself with Los Angeles on a two-year, $14M extension.

Adam Proteau of the Hockey News believes the Maple Leafs can hope to sign Tavares to a deal resembling the ones previously signed by David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron in Boston before both Bruins stars hung up the skates:

“In playing on bargain contracts, Bergeron and Krejci allowed the Bruins to improve their overall depth, and that’s what Leafs fans (and very probably, Leafs management) will want from Tavares starting next season.”

Though Proteau does wonder if “will Tavares accept a cap hit between $4 million and $5 million? That might be as good a hometown discount as it gets, although it could be wishful thinking. Either way, taking a bigger pay cut would permit Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving to stock the Leafs’ forwards shelf with more talent than they’d otherwise get if Tavares insisted on $8 million or $9 million annually.”

There is no doubt that Tavares gets how the Maple Leafs are in a financial crunch and how he can help the overall picture. However, there must still be a give-and-take in average annual salary and contract term, which could cause problems for Tavares and the Leafs.

This is an early issue emerging for Tavares and the Leafs when it comes to the pending negotiations, all of it because the veteran forward is on fire this season.