Insider reveals John Tavares could be convinced to waive no move clause for Utah

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Josh Tupper
June 11, 2024 (12:06)

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The trade of John Tavares to the Utah Hockey Club could be the catalyst for the Toronto Maple Leafs' desire for change.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking at every possibility to bolster their squad in time for the upcoming campaign. The teams' capacity to release a sizable payroll is what starts and finishes the roster modifications. While moving Mitch Marner has been the topic of most discussions, at least one other NHL Insider thinks John Tavares might be the odd man out.

In the last year of his seven-year contract, Tavares expressed his desire to stay with the Maple Leafs. But according to Jeff Marek of the Jeff Marek Show, he has spoken to at least one person who thinks Tavares might be the Utah HC's goal.

I had a conversation with someone who wondered about a team like Utah and here's why, Utah has a lot of young players, Logan Cooley is an obvious one, Utah is most likely in the business for veteran players on short-term deals and the theory is that they could offer Tavares a pretty healthy number on a 2-yr contract as a why to entice him to waive a no-trade.

Tavares finished the previous season with 29 goals and 36 assists in 80 games. Even though his output has decreased, Tavares is still a very capable player and leader. Although Utah would naturally be interested in such a player, it seems unlikely that the captain would waive his no-movement clause even on a two-year contract.