John Tavares is set to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The team announced on Friday that the veteran centre has agreed to a four-year contract extension. The deal carries an average annual value of $4.38 million.
Tavares, 34, hails from Mississauga, Ontario. Last season, he recorded 38 goals and 36 assists in 75 regular-season games, with his goal total being his second-best mark as a Maple Leaf. He added five goals and two assists during 13 playoff appearances.
This extension follows his much-publicized decision in 2018 when he signed a seven-year, $77 million contract to join his hometown team. He had previously left the New York Islanders, who drafted him first overall in 2009, famously announcing his move by sharing a photo of his childhood Maple Leafs bed sheets.
For five of his initial six seasons in Toronto, Tavares served as the team`s captain before the leadership role was given to Auston Matthews.
Throughout his previous contract, Tavares accumulated 222 goals and 271 assists over 515 games with the Maple Leafs, helping the team reach the playoffs every season.
Despite a significant moment like scoring the overtime goal to win the first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023, this represented only one of two series victories achieved by Toronto during his time with the club, highlighting the team`s struggles for deep playoff success.
In the most recent season, Toronto advanced past the Ottawa Senators in six games in the first round but were subsequently eliminated in seven games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round.
These ongoing playoff frustrations, including decisive home losses in Games 5 and 7 against the Panthers, led general manager Brad Treliving to comment in May that fundamental changes were needed to the team`s composition.
However, with this new extension, Tavares is confirmed not to be departing as part of those potential changes.
