As NHL free agency draws near, the Toronto Maple Leafs had some key decisions to make – namely, what to do with star forwards Mitch Marner and John Tavares. While it’s increasingly clear Marner will walk to July 1 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-gm-brad-treliving-expects-mitch-marner-to-hit-free-agency-unless-significant-change-occurs] and sign with the highest bidder, Tavares stuck with his hometown Leafs, agreeing to a four-year, $17.55 million contract extension [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/toronto-maple-leafs-keep-john-tavares-away-from-free-agency] that will almost assuredly take Tavares into his final NHL days. Getting a discount and a little less trade protection in the later years of his contract are massive wins for Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving. Without a doubt, Tavares’ new annual average value of $4.38 million per season is an incredible bargain for the Maple Leafs [http://thn.com/toronto]. Had Tavares decided to follow Marner’s lead and go to free agency, he could’ve asked for double the amount he ultimately settled for with Toronto. One team or another would’ve happily paid for it. After all, we’re talking about a player who posted 38 goals and 74 points in 75 games last season. At 34, Tavares is still as reliable a point-per-game performer as there is in the NHL, and he’s now on a team-friendly contract that will greatly please Leafs fans. “Even though I left some money out there, I've done pretty well,” Tavares told reporters on Zoom. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/john-tavares-explains-why-he-left-money-on-the-table-to-remain-with-maple-leafs] “I'm still doing pretty well, and I get to play for an amazing club and a great city, a place where I'm from, and a team that's got a real opportunity to win." John Tavares (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9bb2aab4-7dc2-4ae5-bf71-0b24ad1a586c.jpeg] John Tavares (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images) Another win for the Leafs and Treliving is that Tavares’ new deal doesn’t have a full no-move clause for the entire contract. The first two years of the extension do include a no-move clause, but in the final two years, the clause becomes a five-team trade list. That’s a better off-ramp for Treliving to use if things don’t go as the Leafs envision for the duration of Tavares’ deal. But two years is a long way away right now. All the Leafs know now is they signed one of the most proven veterans in the game to a contract that’s less than half of what many stars of Tavares’ caliber are playing for. Tavares took less than he could’ve received on the open market the first time he signed with the Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/john-tavares-takes-pay-cut-in-4-year-extension-with-hometown-maple-leafs-worth-4-38m-per-season] in 2018, and he did it again. If Leafs Nation didn’t love Tavares before Friday’s announcement, they have to be over-the-moon in love with him after it. Tavares has put his money where his mouth is while giving the Buds more salary cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/toronto-maple-leafs] to surround the team’s core with. That’s a terrific piece of business by Treliving. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
