The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be a very interesting watch for the next couple of months, as the club could be very involved in the free agent and trade market with the cap room freed up from the exodus of Mitch Marner. A move that is likely to happen is the re-signing of center John Tavares. Earlier this week, the signing of veteran center Yanni Gourde was thought to be a possible blueprint for a potential Tavares deal, but the Colorado Avalanche’s deal with free agent Brock Nelson is something that the Leafs are likely to follow.
The 33-year-old is a former teammate of Tavares with the NY Islanders, drafted in 2010, and last season had 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) in 80 games with New York and the Avs. Colorado paid a hefty price to acquire Nelson as a rental at the deadline (prospect Calum Ritchie, a 2026 conditional 1st round pick, and a 2027 conditional 3rd round pick).
The AAV ($7.5 million) and term (3 years) seems a bit excessive, but there is a thought that the Avs were willing to pay nearly any price to keep the veteran center in the fold as a #2 option behind Nathan MacKinnon, and the free agent center market is thin after Sam Bennett and Tavares that Nelson had Colorado between a rock and a hard place.
Tavares could have Toronto in a similar position with Marner leaving, but his quite open desire to stay with the Leafs mitigates the situation. GM Brad Treliving wants to bring the 34-year-old back, but at a more manageable price, to all him the flexibility of pursuing free agents this or next summer. The three-year model with a higher AAV would likely be something that Treliving would not choose, but the structure of the deal Gourde signed is probably where Toronto would opt for.
If we see a Tavares deal in the next few weeks, it could be very close to what defenseman Chris Tanev signed last summer. With the cap going up, the AAV will be higher than the $4.5 million Tanev agreed to, but his deal was front-loaded in the first three years ($6m, $5.6m, and $4.6m) with heavy signing bonuses.
Sacco Signing With Rangers
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on a recent 32 Thoughts podcast that a potential replacement for the departure of Lane Lambert from the Leafs coaching staff might be former Boston Bruins head coach Joe Sacco, but according to Mollie Walker of the NY Post, Sacco will be joining the NY Rangers as an assistant to Mike Sullivan.
The 56-year-old is a former Toronto draft pick and head coach of the Colorado Avalanche who took over as interim head coach after Jim Montgomery was fired by the Bruins early this season.
