Tavares is entering the final year of his seven-year, $77 million contract with the Leafs in 2024-25.
The Toronto Maple Leafs held their annual media day on Wednesday as the 2024 training camp officially got underway, where now-former Leafs captain John Tavares addressed the media. As he enters the final year of a seven-year, $77 million contract he signed in the summer of 2018, the 33-year-old faces questions about his future in Toronto.
While he’s been eligible for a contract extension since July 1, no deal has materialized. However, Tavares has made his intentions clear: he wants to stay in his hometown for the long haul. After all, he didn’t earn the nickname “Johnny Toronto” for nothing.
“It's not something I'm going to talk about or focus on every single day and whatnot (contract negotiations), but obviously I want to be here, I want to be here long-term and hopefully that happens,” Tavares told reporters on Wednesday.
Tavares played a key role in transitioning the captaincy to Auston Matthews in August, emphasizing that the move wasn’t performance-based. In fact, he stated he feels “stronger than ever” in his ability to compete. As he approaches unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2024-25 season, Tavares is determined to have a big season in Toronto—and he’s ready to prove himself once again.
“It's been a very good off-season and I'm as driven as I've ever been to play the way that I have over the course of my career,” said Tavares. “Obviously go out there and prove myself once again. Help contribute to our club, our team on and off the ice as I always have since I've come here and really since I've entered the league.”
Since joining the Leafs in 2018, Tavares has been a steady presence both as a leader and a player. In his six seasons with the club, he has maintained a high level of play. Having worn the captain’s ‘C’ for both the New York Islanders and the Leafs, Tavares will don the ‘A’ for Toronto in the upcoming season, as his leadership remains crucial to the organization.
Although no extension is imminent, Tavares, who turns 34 on September 20, is eager to show he’s still a valuable asset and to continue working towards “accomplishing what we’ve been working to accomplish,” he said following the team’s opening-round playoff series loss to the Boston Bruins.
“All I can control is just go out there and play and be at a very high level and help our team focus on trying to understand what's up this year. I guess that's what our goal is, what our goal has been since I've come here in my time,” Tavares said. “Like I said, (I have a) tremendous amount of belief in this group and from when I came until now and the evolution of everything. Whenever that comes, yeah, obviously hopefully something can work out.”
In the 2023-24 regular season, Tavares posted 29 goals and 36 assists for 65 points, with an additional two points (1G, 1A) in the playoffs. Over his six-year tenure in the blue and white, Tavares has 443 points (196G, 247A) in 478 regular and postseason appearances.
