"Not paying him $6.5 million at age 35": Darren Dreger offers blunt take on Maple Leafs' ongoing contract talk with $77M star

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares is in the final year of his seven-year, $77 million contract. With free agency approaching in 2025, discussions about his next deal have become a hot topic. NHL insider Darren Dreger shared a strong opinion about the situation during Friday's episode of the "First Up" podcast.

Dreger acknowledged that Tavares may deserve his current value, but emphasized that Toronto must consider its long-term priorities.

"5.5 is rich for me, very rich. And is he worth 5.5 probably," Dreger said. "But if I'm the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it all depends on just how aggressive you want to get in front and how cutthroat you want to get, it's 'Hey, John, this is it, or we're letting you walk'." [4:55]

"Are you going to be underpaid? Probably, but you're also going to be an icon in this franchise's history when it's all said and done..."

Tavares, 34, has been productive this season, scoring 20 points in 21 games, including 9 goals and 11 assists. He is on track for approximately 34 goals and 41 assists by the end of the season per ESPN. Despite his strong performance, Dreger emphasized that the Leafs should focus on balancing future cap space with Tavares’ contributions.

"If you want to go somewhere else and make some more money, you can go ahead and do that, but I am not paying John Tavares $5.5, $6, $6.5 million at age 35. No chance" Dreger added.

Tavares has expressed his desire to remain with the Maple Leafs, saying in September:

“I want to be here long-term and hopefully that happens.”

Since joining the Leafs in 2018, John Tavares has scored 193 goals and contributed 246 assists in 461 games.

---

NHL insider Chris Johnston talked about John Tavares's contract extension with Maple Leafs

NHL insider Chris Johnston discussed John Tavares' next contract in The Athletic, saying he will likely take a pay cut. Tavares is not the player he was when he signed his last deal. Johnston suggests Tavares will earn less this time around.

"Tavares neither projects to be, nor pretends to be, the same player he was when he signed his last contract. He’s going to be taking a pay cut this time around. The question is exactly how much less he’ll make..." Johnston said.

Maple Leafs may offer less due to salary cap concerns, and impending Mitch Marner's contract extension. Both sides are reportedly discussing options, including deferred payments, to manage the cap.