TSN: Pierre LeBrun on TSN 1050 radio on Toronto Maple Leafs pending UFA John Tavares. How will the Leafs will approach, and should they have a firm cut-off point?
NHLRumors.com transcription
Bryan Hayes: “How about this John Tavares situation? I’m curious where you stand on this in terms, like he’s got 35 goals, more than a point a game. This guy might hit, he might score 40, have 83, 84 points. I mean, not quite a career year. The career year was his first year. That was when he first got here at 47 goals, and I think 87 points. But if he scores 40, let’s say 82 points.
Do you think any of what he’s doing during the regular season has any effect on what he would be asking for or demanding for in free agency, or how the Leafs would be willing to approach his contract situation once they get Marner out of the way, because we all understand they have to figure that out first.”
NHL Rumors: When Will Teams Use the Offer Sheet?
LeBrun: “Yeah, I think it has some impact to some degree. I tweeted about that Saturday night that, for whatever reason, seemed to hit a nerve with Leaf fans. Came at me off the top rope. I’m just stating facts, man, I have no, you know, no skin in the game.
I just, I just pointed out that, by the way, you know, I think Tavares would have absolutely been willing to sign extension back in September before the season even started. Because, you know, he wants to stay here. I also, as I tweeted, totally understand the Leafs wanting to wait, you know, to see how, how he was again this year, as he gets older.
And to your point, Marner’s situation. So totally get. I probably would have waited too if the Leafs. But the point I made Saturday night in that tweet, was very simply, and it’s, it’s hardly earth shattering. Whatever number Tavares would have probably been willing to do in September will have gone up now, at the end of this year.”
Jeff O’Neill: “Okay, let me just stop you there, Pierre.”
LeBrun: “But hold on, hold on.”
Hayes: “Go ahead. Continue.”
LeBrun: “Hold on, for two reasons, and then, then you can do like Leafs fans and come off the top rope. But not only because of his amazing season, but also, and this is probably even a bigger reason quite frankly, we’ve got a natural inflation happening in the market now with the cap numbers going up drastically.
You just saw it with the last couple of extensions around the league, including (Jakob) Chychrun. So, I just don’t think the number that was there in September will be there at the end of the season. I could be wrong, but that’s my read from, let’s just say, inquiring a little.”
Hayes: “And you’re saying that’s from Tavares’ perspective. That’s John saying your belief is, I’m I would expect this now compared to what I would have expected.”
NHL Rumors: Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, LTIR and CBA Talks
O’Neill: “Here’s what I expect. And I totally agree with your comment at the beginning of the season, brad, or the show, Brian, if he wants to make a bunch of money, he’s not doing it in Toronto Pierre. Would you not agree with that? This is not going to be a money oriented deal?”
LeBrun: “Yeah, no, that’s fair too. I still think he’s probably willing to take less in here than, than on the open market, for sure. But that, but two things can be true here. That doesn’t mean that the number isn’t slightly higher now than it was in September. It has to be. Like, why would it stay the same?”
Hayes: “Well, but this isn’t he’s just been, he’s been the same guy throughout his career. I mean, to his credit, that’s a compliment. Like he has been consistent his whole career. Go ahead.”
Jamie McLennan: “Well, I just, I guess you’re right from a leverage standpoint, as far as this season, but aren’t contracts supposed to be what you’re going to do in the future and not past? Like that’s the only, you know, caveat.”
LeBrun: “Since when?”
McLennan: “Well, yeah. I mean, I asked Julien BriseBois. You know what he …”
Hayes: “What a move by them saying, Sorry, Stammer, see you later. What a play, what a play.”
McLennan: “And that’s, that’s my point is, you’re right. He’s a, legacy player is the wrong word, but he is a guy that has had seven great years, or seven really good years for the Toronto Maple Leafs. And if he wants to stay, I think that the Leafs right now, they still hold the cards, because he wants to play for that team.
NHL Rumors: Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers
So it has to work for them as well as it has to work for him. And I don’t know the price gone up, gone down, because I don’t know what his marketplace is right now. And you still have to get through the playoffs, don’t you, Pierre? Because if, if it doesn’t go well, and they look to change the structure of the team, it doesn’t matter what he’s making, they might move past players to try and get younger. Like, that’s the …”
LeBrun: “That’s a huge point Noodles, for sure, I mean. And frankly, that probably applies to Marner to some degree …”
McLennan: “Right.”
LeBrun: “… even though he’s a very special player. Like, if it’s Groundhog Day in the opening round the playoffs for the Leafs, just some serious decisions to be made here, right? But this could be the year they do. I actually, I’m probably gonna get radioed. I see the Leafs go deep this year. So I just think they’re better constructed for that time of year, and I think this is the year that they have a bit of success. And so that’ll make things interesting from what we’re talking about, in a way, if that happens.
But no, I mean, listen, unless something changes drastically, and it can these things change with one phone call. My understanding of the situation is that everyone understood they would wait until after the year now, to get back at this on the Tavares front.
I’m just pointing out like I think, sort of planted early in this market. Well, obviously, owes the market a big pay cut. He’s obviously going to take a pay cut if he stays. He’s taking a pay cut no matter what. He’s not going to make $11 million but I think people got a little carried away with what that pay cut was going to look like.
I mean, Claude Giroux is wrapping up a three year deal with the Ottawa Senators at six and a half million a year. Which, you know, I think he’s fared pretty well at that contract, and at his age. He’s older than Tavares. But I’m just, as an example, I mean, that contract was signed three years ago, and he’s, he’s at six and a half. Now he, you know, that was him going to Ottawa, so Ottawa had to lure him. So you pay a little extra for that.”
O’Neill: “Pierre, we agreed that those type of contracts are only for players, like, only a different team is going to offer you that kind of contract. That’s not for the team that’s already given you $75 million, $80 million. You got to get a different team to give you that contract.”
LeBrun: “All right, so, so let me, let me ask you then, so what’s your number if you’re Brad Treliving? What’s number you’re comfortable with on the comparison?”
O’Neill: “I love you, man. I’m not going to get into this with you. My number would offend you so much that you wouldn’t, you would hang up the phone right now. You got to ask one of these two guys.”
NHL Rumors: What Will John Tavares and Mitch Marner Get on Their Next Deals
LeBrun: “I think I know, I think I know what your number is from talking to someone else. But that’s okay. I’m not gonna…”
O’Neill: “I’ll let Nodles and Brian answer this one. Like, and the other thing Pierre is term like, I don’t want to be associated with a player. And let me just state one thing, I really like John Tavares as a player. He’s good. He’s on the power play. I don’t want to be associated with a number or term where the wheels fall off it, because I don’t want to be a part of it. Especially for a team that hasn’t won. Hayes.”
Hayes: “Yeah, no, that’s reasonable. And listen another example, Boston just did it. Brad Marchand was in there. Sounds like almost begging. Can we work something out? No, this is the number. Like we’re, this, we’re not budging off anything.”
LeBrun: “Vegas and Jonathan Marchessault. One of the most popular players in Vegas.”
Hayes: “And look, and that’s…”
O’Neill: “And again, that’s our number. Sorry, we’re not moving off it.”
Hayes: “This is the way it goes. And what those organizations represent is confidence. And look what happened in Tampa when Stamkos left. Nothing. They’re still great and they’re still in the cup window. And look at what Vegas has done without Marchessault. Nothing. They’re still in the cup window and they very well might win another one. Boston is different because they were going in a different direction.
But that’s the point of where I think, and I don’t have the answer from a Leafs perspective, Pierre. That’s another, I’m not convinced the Leafs won’t just say, ‘All right, we just got to do it. What are you comfortable with, John? We’ll give it to you.’ Their history would suggest that could happen. That that’s how they operate when it comes to these, the best players. the players win the deal, and they’re terrified of living without them.
NHL Rumors: Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, and the Montreal Canadiens
That may apply here. They admit John, I don’t know what the number is. Who knows what it is? Maybe he’s like, I need a four-year deal at this price. They may just say, ‘Fine, we’ll give it to you.’ They might do that.
But I would like them at some point to say we can’t operate that way. We got to operate like the best teams do, which is what Florida does, Tampa does, Vegas does. This is what we’re comfortable with. If you really want to be here, then you got to sign it. If not, we’ll live without you. Like that’s, that’s the way you got to operate.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s new, and we’re just getting started. Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league.
