Report: John Tavares And Steven Lorentz Will Have To Wait Until Off-Season For Contract Offers From Maple Leafs

   

Tavares and Lorentz, each unrestricted free agents at the end of this season, may have to wait to receive contract offers from Toronto.

Mar 25, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares (91) celebrates with teammates at the bench after scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Mar 25, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares (91) celebrates with teammates at the bench after scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

John Tavares and Steven Lorentz reportedly won't receive contract offers from the Toronto Maple Leafs until the off-season.

According to the Toronto Star's Nick Kypreos, both players, who grew up in the Greater Toronto Area, will have to wait to ink new deals with the team given the uncertainty around Mitch Marner.

"Sounds like pending unrestricted free agents John Tavares and Steven Lorentz will have to wait until the off-season for new contract offers from the Leafs if they are to stay," Kypreos reported on Thursday. "Toronto’s top priority remains to leave enough space to either pay Mitch Marner or lure one or two players to adequately replace him."

Tavares is having another strong season with the Maple Leafs, scoring 65 points (32 goals and 33 assists) in 64 games. Lorentz, too, has been productive, with six goals and 10 assists in 69 games — three points off his career-high of 19 points.

Both players are living their childhood dream of playing with the Maple Leafs. Tavares has admitted several times this season that he wants to remain in Toronto beyond this year, and if you asked Lorentz, he'd likely say the same.

Lorentz signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Maple Leafs after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last June. Tavares has been with Toronto since July 2018 when he inked a seven-year, $77 million contract. 

The news came 20 days after the NHL trade deadline, when it was reported that Marner was asked to waive his no-move clause in a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen.