Countdown to Free Agent Frenzy: Leafs, Tavares not close?
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With the Stanley Cup Final now complete, the NHL's off-season has arrived for all 32 teams who are preparing for the NHL Draft starting on June 27 and Free Agent Frenzy on July 1. TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.
Leafs, Tavares have work to do
The Toronto Maple Leafs and pending unrestricted free agent forward John Tavares still have not "found their sweet spot" on an extension, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported in The Athletic on Saturday.
"Wherever each side is, it wasn’t close enough as of Saturday," LeBrun wrote.
LeBrun reports Tavares does not want to leave Toronto and losing him would leave the Leafs with a big hole down the middle.
"It’s probably still going to get done, but it’s a fascinating one to be sure," he wrote.
Tavares scored 38 goals and 74 points in 75 games during the regular season, adding five goals and seven points in 13 playoff games before Toronto was eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
In the same piece, LeBrun provided an update on star forward Mitch Marner, who is also set to hit free agency on July 1. LeBrun floats the potential of Marner signing a short-term deal at around $12 million to $13 million per year, which would position him to hit the open market once again when the salary cap goes up, allowing for a potentially more lucrative payday.
LeBrun lists the Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings as teams he believes are high on Marner's list.
The 28-year-old had 27 goals and a career-best 102 points in 81 games last season for the Leafs.
Stars listening on Robertson
LeBrun reports the Dallas Stars are not actively shopping star forward Jason Robertson, but they are gathering information on his trade market.
The 25-year-old is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next July and can be extended as early as this summer. According to LeBrun, the Stars are trying to determine what his ask on his next contract would be, and if it's determined to be too steep for the club, they could circle back to teams that had reached out regarding a trade.
"Either way, though, I don’t see a quick resolution in the coming week or two. This is a slow-play situation where he’s either extended by the end of the summer or traded in August," LeBrun wrote.
According to PuckPedia, the Stars have 18 players under contract for next season and just shy of $3 million in cap space currently free.
Robertson had 35 goals and 80 points in 82 games for the Stars during the regular season and another four goals and six points in 11 playoff games.