Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares is entering the final year of his contract, meaning he’s a lot more tradeable now compared to a year ago.
After yet another playoff meltdown, the time has come for the Maple Leafs to trade one of the “core four” players in either John Tavares, Auston Matthews, William Nylander or Mitch Marner.
Matthews and Nylander recently signed long-term extensions and aren’t going anywhere. Trading Marner has to be on the table, though the Leafs will find it hard to receive equal or greater value in return.
John Tavares has one year left on the $77 million pact he signed in 2018 free agency, per CapFriendly. With a full no-movement clause in his deal, Tavares has complete control over his destination.
But given Toronto’s lack of playoff success, Tavares should be open to waiving it, especially if the front office and coaching staff make it clear that they don’t view him as part of their long-term plans.
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If Toronto unloads Tavares’ deal, they’ll have to take back another bad contract in return. That might be where the retooling St. Louis Blues could step in and lend a helping hand.
St. Louis missed out on the postseason by six points last year, and it was mostly due to a lackluster offense that finished 24th in goals for (239). Robert Thomas (86 points) was the only player to hit the 70-point mark, emphasizing the Blues’ need for more scoring.
A John Tavares Trade That Works For All Parties
The Maple Leafs should offer Tavares to the center-needy Blues in exchange for defenseman Torey Krug and a 2025 second-round pick. Krug is signed for three more years with a $6.5 million cap hit, but his declining offense make the contract a burden.
Krug flourished as a puck-moving defenseman with the Boston Bruins’ top players. Perhaps he could revive his career working the power play with the likes of Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Morgan Rielly.
Swapping Tavares for Krug addresses a need for both teams, with Toronto clearing $4.5 million in cap space to open up room for another impact trade or signing.
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