NHL Insider weighs in on the likelihood of John Tavares' Maple Leafs future

John Tavares' future with the Toronto Maple Leafs is still not clear. But NHL insider Chris Johnston thinks he will likely stay.

Speaking on the SDPN podcast on Sunday, Johnston weighed in with his thoughts on the odds of Tavares remaining in Toronto.

“I'll go 70-30 he stays. And the reason I'm saying this is because the Leafs need not one but two centermen to be acquired or signed or somehow procured this offseason. I don't see a lot of clear upgrades that are going to be out there in free agency."

John Tavares scored 38 goals and had 74 points this season, with a plus-minus rating of 10. He was averaging 18:13 minutes of time on ice while playing as their second-line center with Pontus Holmberg and William Nylander on the wing.

Tavares still plays an important leadership role on the Leafs as he was the captain before Auston Matthews took over.

"... (Tavares) still has great hands around the net, and looks after himself, treats everybody right," Johnston said. "Pretty damn good hockey player, that I think, if he would ever get to the open market himself, would still have a vast array of teams trying to bring him in.

"I still think it's likely they end up together because the Leafs need a center. There's not that many centers available, and John Tavares really wants to stay in Toronto. We'll see, but I see more more likely than not that he stays."

Tavares, who will turn 35 in September, becomes a free agent on July 1. He has expressed his intention to stay in Toronto.

Maple Leafs GM's 'DNA' comment could have impact on John Tavares' future

The Maple Leafs have many decisions to make after parting ways with Brendan Shanahan in May. General manager Brad Treliving is now doing all the planning related to upcoming changes.

Treliving has hinted at a big shift in the team with his "DNA" comment last week.

"There's some DNA that has to change in our team," Treliving said. "If you keep getting to the same result, there's some DNA that needs to change. That's on me going forward."

Toronto lost in the second round of the playoffs, and the final two home games were 6-1 losses to the Florida Panthers. Now, Treliving could be hinting at breaking the Leafs' core group, which includes John Tavares.