John Tavares Seemingly Has No Interest in Waiving His No-Move Clause with Maple Leafs

There could be changes with the Toronto Maple Leafs following their second-round playoff exit against the Florida Panthers. But if Tavares is to be one of those changes, they'd need permission from the captain.

At the club's end-of-season media availability, the 32-year-old was asked if he'd be willing to waive his no-move clause as part of any trade. The captain responded by expressing his love for Toronto and his team.

"I love it here. I made a commitment here for seven years to be a Leaf and I want to be here," Tavares said. "That's how I feel. I love being captain and take that responsibility very seriously and feel really fortunate and feel there is tremendous opportunity for our team in the near future."

Tavares joined the Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2018 after spending his entire career with the New York Islanders. The Oakville, Ontario native signed a seven-year, $77 million contract that included a no-move clause. The provision requires Tavares to give permission to be moved to another team.

The Maple Leafs advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2004 and Tavares scored the round-clinching goal in overtime of Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. But the team crashed and burned against the Florida Panthers in Round 2.

At times, Tavares was tried out as a winger and the forward said he's open to that possibility again next season. He also said that he was fully healthy for the duration of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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