McCown: “I’ve been told by a source that would definitely know this. The Maple Leafs have a plan to give Stamkos a minimum of $3.5M a year in a marketing contract, in broad terms, and that the legitimacy of the deal has been vetted by lawyers.”
Other host: “Lawyers or the league?”
McCown: “Both. The league and the players’ association. So it is a vetted thing. Does that mean Stamkos has agreed to terms? On the day that I found out about it, the Leafs couldn’t legally talk to him, so I can’t say that. But this person said to me that he believes Stamkos will sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The $3.5M wouldn’t be in the player contract.”
Other host: “So this would be a side deal, and in theory the Maple Leafs could never be connected to this deal, or construed to have orchestrated this deal as this would be in circumvention of the CBA.”
Other host: “When Cliff Fletcher signed Doug Gilmour in the 90s, they signed him to a $6.5M deal that included marketing rights. That’s when you saw Dougie everywhere, wearing cow legs for milk ads, etc. That was because the Maple Leafs controlled his marketing rights.”
Here’s the link to the podcast: http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/prime-time-sports/
UPDATE (2:30pm)
Cdn Tire's presence at an MLSE meeting with Stamkos would be about endorsements, Tory would be going to name a subway stop after him.
— Lance Hornby (@sunhornby) June 29, 2016
SOURCES: Maple Leafs met with Steven Stamkos at MLSE headquarters Tuesday. Also present: Toronto Mayor John Tory and CEO of Canadian Tire.
— steve simmons (@simmonssteve) June 29, 2016