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We are reaching the part of the summer when the news slows to a crawl. As you know from previous years, late July and August is when we take a look at the prospects who participate in the World Junior Summer Showcase and at the Toronto Maple Leafs Top 40 prospects, but there are still questions yet to be resolved.
One question utmost in the minds of Leafs fans is the future of team captain John Tavares.
First, the chatter regarding the club trying to get Tavares to waive his no-movement clause and be traded was never going to happen because he made it clear last summer after the loss to Florida that he wanted to stay in Toronto and finish out his seven-year, $77 million contract. Second, a buyout was not going to happen because the deal was structured with heavy signing bonuses and that provides no cap relief. Third (and most importantly), at 33 years old Tavares is not the player that the Leafs signed in 2018 and he is not an $11 million player, but he is still an excellent center who scored nearly scored 30 goals and had 65 points.
Did he score only two points in the seven-game loss to Boston?…..yes, but the goal tied one game on the road and the assist set up Matthew Knies game-winner in Game 5. That is more than you can say for most of the club.
The question is what does the future hold? It has long been assumed that Tavares may be willing to sign an extension with Toronto after next season for considerably less than $11 million per season. With his age, the club could sign him to a long-term deal as 34-year-old Chris Tanev did to spread out the AAV and front load the deal and give the Leafs some cap relief, but it cannot be insulting like what Tampa Bay tried to do with Steven Stamkos.
Would anyone complain if the Leafs announced that they had signed Tavares to the same deal they signed Tanev to (six years x $4.5 million) at any point during next season?
The other question….the captaincy. Is there any doubt that Tavares is respected in the room? There has never been any hint or inkling that he is not. Just because he is not a rah-rah guy in interviews does not mean he is not an effective leader. The problem with the Leafs has been they have been badly constructed and top-heavy for his entire tenure in Toronto.
Is there a thought of passing the torch to Auston Matthews? Maybe that would be part of an extension, that he will not be the captain, and that #34 will put the C on in 2025-26.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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