TSN: Darren Dreger and Ray Ferraro discuss Toronto Maple Leafs pending UFA forward John Tavares, and what his next contract could appear like.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Dreger: “So it also looks like he has a number of good years left, right? He’s 34, just turned 34 not that way back. You may’t insult him with a proposal, but you furthermore mght recognize you’ll be able to’t pay him anywhere near $11 million.
So what’s fair, based on all the things that you understand about John Tavares immediately. What do you think that is a good, non-insulting contract term, money for Tavares?”
Ferraro: “Well, if, since I’m the GM.”
Dreger: “Yes you might be.”
Ferraro: “I say, well, we’re not going to speak until June, because we don’t must. What if, like, and there’s zero indication of this, what if John scores three goals within the second half of the 12 months. Like at at age you begin to, I might begin to give it some thought.”
Dreger: “Okay.”
Ferraro: “And I assume, I, there’s a pair things at play here. One is, he’s not a free agent, per se, because they’re already paying him $11 million a 12 months. It’s not like they’ve to search out money to pay him. They’re actually going to lower your expenses on the cap by whatever they’re going to pay him. So I feel that’s.
I feel that’s one determination that gets, you understand, that gets missed this, I hear a variety of ‘Oh yeah, but they’re gonna must, they’re gonna have to search out this money on the cap.’ No they’ve already accounted for it. It’s whether it’s gonna be $6 million or $8 million, or whatever it’s gonna be.
Second part is, I feel I might go to him and say, ‘John, you’ll never play a game for anyone else, but I can only offer you a two 12 months contract.’ And that my, my hope is that I’ve built up enough trust that I could give him an example just like the late Tim Wakefield that played with the Boston Red Sox. He signed, I feel, 12 straight one-year contracts, and he said, and so they told him, you’re never going to pitch anywhere else.
And so if I’m giving John $8 million for 2 years, I’m a hell of so much more comfortable than 8 million for 4.”
Dreger: “Okay.”
Ferraro: “And, and, however the thing is, in two years, he’s coming. I might need to construct an overview. We predict you’ve got X variety of years left at the extent that you just’re at. And I can, I will pay you for 2 years immediately. For those who want 4, I can’t go 4.”
Dreger: “Yeah, and you may have to have the combo, right? So, you understand, Marner can be an unrestricted free agent. So you understand, for those who can get those two guys in and around 21 mill. I mean, depending on the term of the Tavares.”
Ferraro: “But, but yeah, the term, truthfully, it’s not the dollars that basically concern me, because I feel typically, the player and the team would come, like Tavares and the Leafs would come to an understanding of what that dollar figure would appear like. I feel that’s I feel they will get to that.
And I feel typically, teams can get to the cash. It’s the term that, and you’ll be able to’t, you’ll be able to’t bypass that and say, oh, yeah, I’m not going to fret about, everyone says the last 12 months of the contract. What if it’s the last three years of the contract.”
Dreger: “Agreed. Yeah.”
Ferraro: “Like, what for those who’re stuck with an albatross and it’s, again, it’s not specific to John, it’s specific to anybody that’s 35, 36, 37. The sport’s not getting slower.”
Dreger: “Yeah.”
Ferraro: “The one, one thing I’ll say about John, I’ve been super impressed this 12 months in regards to the, the consistency of his game. Like he appears to be getting across the ice slightly more freely.”
Dreger: “He does.”
Ferraro: “And that’s, that’s the entire a part of my concern. It’s never his dedication. It’s never his ability to shoot the puck or to need to rating. It’s never that. To me it’s as he gets older, is he going to give you the chance to maneuver across the ice. And immediately, rattling, it looks like he can. And he’s had an awesome, he’s had an awesome 12 months.”
