This is great and everything John Tavares’ reps and the Leafs would have talked about since the start of the season, but honestly, it would make absolutely no sense to sign him to an extension now.

In fact, this is a unique scenario in which I think Toronto holds a lot of influence – strangely enough. Although the 34-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent again on July 1.^stclearly, he currently has no intention of playing anywhere else. And quite honestly, the Leafs would be stupid not to use that against him.

Personally, I think keeping an open dialogue is great. Indeed, when the time comes to consolidate a new contract, both parties will not be starting from scratch. Even now, I’m sure both sides have a good understanding of what a new deal could look like. In this situation I don’t think duration is an issue, it will be more about finding a happy medium in terms of average annual value.

The scenario was so predictable: Tavares gets off to a good start, public pressure builds to lock him out.

This isn’t about beating a dead horse, but if the Leafs don’t do something substantial this spring, it will unequivocally be time to make significant roster changes. Due to their current salary and contract status, naturally, moving on from Tavares and/or Mitch Marner could mean just that. I’m not saying they should, but ultimately I think it’s worth having a debate if this team fails to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again this season.

If you ask me, all this talk about Tavares extending is just noise. Clearly, his camp would like to put this matter aside and not worry about unrestricted free agency. The Leafs, on the other hand, should be very aware of where both teams stand. This is all part of the negotiation process. That said, the only way I see a resolution happening quickly is if the deal makes too much sense to pass up. As has been demonstrated this season, Tavares is still a bad player, and if he has to take a sizable pay cut to stay, it would be foolish to pass up that value.