Why retaining John Tavares should be a top priority for Maple Leafs

Now that Auston Matthews and William Nylander have signed their mega-deals to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs, attention will turn to the other half of the "Core Four."

Mitch Marner's and John Tavares' contracts expire after next season, and it will be interesting to see how Maple Leafs management handles those negotiations when they can officially start July 1. 

Tavares, whose $11-million cap hit was the second-largest in the NHL when his seven-year contract began in 2018-19, touched on his future Monday.

"I think everyone knows that I love to play here," Tavares told reporters. "To be the captain is something really special, and to play with these players and the type of group we have and what we’re trying to achieve has been phenomenal. Obviously, I want to be here."

As the oldest member of the core, Tavares, 33, could be the odd man out in order for the Maple Leafs to squeeze under the salary cap (unless he agrees to take a substantial pay cut.)

It would be in the Maple Leafs' best interest to find a way to keep Tavares around, though. He has shown few signs of decline offensively, and he undoubtedly is one of the best net-front forwards in the league.

Tavares is also a beast along the boards, ranking second out of 444 qualified forwards (minimum 100 minutes) with 4.03 puck-battle wins per 20 minutes. Only Philadelphia’s Sean Couturier (4.08 puck-battle wins per 20) is better.

Few players rival Tavares in the faceoff circle, where he has won 60.9 per cent of his draws — fourth-best among 90 players who have taken at least 15 per cent of their team's faceoffs. The Maple Leafs average 1.52 scoring chances per 20 following Tavares' faceoff wins in the offensive zone — the best mark in the league. (Chances that come within five seconds of a successful draw are counted.) 

Tavares' chemistry with Nylander is undeniable. The Maple Leafs have out-chanced opponents 174-122 at 5-on-5 this season when Tavares and Nylander have been on the ice, and they have factored on the same goal 23 times in all situations. (Their line with Tyler Bertuzzi has controlled 62.3 per cent of expected goals at 5-on-5.)

Although Tavares has his shortcomings defensively, his offensive acumen more than makes up for it. Frankly, there is no obvious replacement for Tavares on the Maple Leafs' roster. Toronto has toyed with the idea of playing Nylander at second-line centre, but it has yet to stick.

Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving should make retaining Tavares a top priority.

"All we can do is tackle these things one at a time," Treliving told reporters Monday. "When I got here, (Matthews) was the priority. He and (Nylander) were both going into their final years. We were able to get those done. Now you see what's next on the list."

All stats via Sportlogiq