Confirmed Signing with Link: [TOR] John Tavares signs with the Leafs (7 years, $11M AAV)

[Cotton]

Rielly- Dermott*
Gardiner - Lilijegren
Sandin/Borgman/Rosen - Durzki/Carrick/Zaitsev

That's our D's future right there, hopefully.

IF not, then stick to the plan. Continue to draft, wait for a steal of a trade, or wait for a UFA to come.

Remember when everyone said we have to give something big to get something big back? The entire team came for 'free' (did not have to give up something 'big').

Dermott doesn’t like playing on the right.

 

[Pocket Hercules]

I wish some of my fellow Leaf fans would stop gloating so much. The payback will be intense if Matthews pulls a Tavares some day

Don't kid yourself, the hypothetical payback would be intense either way. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Might as well enjoy the moment!

 

[sepHF]

Tavares is 27. He is young and just coming into his prime. Your theory makes no sense.

eh, in hockey guys tend to produce more in their early - mid 20's. If anything I'd say Tavares is towards the end of his prime where regression starts. Usually around 26-27 years old

 

[TheGroceryStick]

I wish some of my fellow Leaf fans would stop gloating so much. The payback will be intense if Matthews pulls a Tavares some day

Meh.
I'm not gloating, but we've dealt with alot of morons over the years and even this off season; telling different versions of how the city is bad, managment, coaching blah blah.

I'm fine with our crazies....get em!

 

[FrozenJagrt]

I wish some of my fellow Leaf fans would stop gloating so much. The payback will be intense if Matthews pulls a Tavares some day

Well there are a LOT of fans attacking the Leafs fanbase right now, so I don't mind the gloating.

As for Matthews leaving, not likely. Tavares left a mess of an organization with lots of question marks. He took a discount and his team did nothing with it. Matthews is with a team that is competitive, has shown a commitment to winning, and can offer him greater financial opportunities than almost anywhere else.

 

[TorstenFrings]

We're allowed to discuss their rampant lunacy here, while being tolerant and not rubbing it in their faces on their board.

Any rampant lunacy here? Yes, absolutely. I just meant, leave the stuff that's on their board on their board.

I am the furthest thing from a moderator though. So do your thing.

 

[Cotton]

I wish some of my fellow Leaf fans would stop gloating so much. The payback will be intense if Matthews pulls a Tavares some day

Pulls a Tavares? You mean reach free-agency and sign with a new team?

 

[TheGroceryStick]

eh, in hockey guys tend to produce more in their early - mid 20's. If anything I'd say Tavares is towards the end of his prime where regression starts. Usually around 26-27 years old

Oouuwwf

A player who hasn't won a cup..is hungry at the young age of 27.

Doughty and Stamkos should have you worried about riding a contract out. JT wants it...wants it in his hometown. Woooooo

 

[SoVi3t]

Any rampant lunacy here? Yes, absolutely. I just meant, leave the stuff that's on their board on their board.

I am the furthest thing from a moderator though. So do your thing.

It's not like we're laughing at their misfortune though. We're laughing at them overreacting, burning jersey's, and trying to use voodoo to curse his future children.

 

[mikemar1]

Pulls a Tavares? You mean reach free-agency and sign with a new team?

yes...to his boyhood team

 

[Holymakinaw]

My only worry is what we having coming in won't be quite ready for the projected window of this club. Lilijegren, Sandin, Durzi won't be be contributors for at least 3-4 yrs. I would think we'll need to find a trade partner even if we don't get full value in this scenario.

I know what you mean, but I don't agree about Liljegren(or don't forget about Rosen/Borgman for that matter....) They all might "arrive" as soon as this year or next.

 

[bionic]

I don't think enough people realize how much better the Leaf's team D will be, with the addition of John Tavares.

And the subtraction of Bozak and JVR

 

[Holymakinaw]

And the subtraction of Bozak and JVR

So true.

 

[TorstenFrings]

It's not like we're laughing at their misfortune though. We're laughing at them overreacting, burning jersey's, and trying to use voodoo to curse his future children.

I just think, if bringing MB stuff to the team boards to ridicule is warning-worthy, then the opposite should be true too.

I really don't give a crap about the Islanders, so I'm gonna give it up at this point, because as I said I am not a moderator and I don't want to get a warning to derailing the thread. It was just meant in a golden rule "what you would not have done to you" spirit.

 

[mikemar1]

It's not like we're laughing at their misfortune though. We're laughing at them overreacting, burning jersey's, and trying to use voodoo to curse his future children.

They do seem a little unhinged

 

[SoVi3t]

I just think, if bringing MB stuff to the team boards to ridicule is warning-worthy, then the opposite should be true too.

That would mean nobody would talk about anything around here. When Leafs fans were throwing jerseys on the ice, did people not discuss that on the main boards, or did they respect the Leafs fans privacy in that situation? Hmmm?

 

[loyaltotheend]

See that wasn't hard. Good reply. I still say the latter years are a concern when you sign a player to these type of contracts. But I won't deny it helps the Leafs in the interim. As for the later years on the contract. I am doubtful.

While the thought of him declining as time passes is quite reasonable, I don't think it will be anything to worry about.
I believe he's only 34 at the end of the deal? Might be 35. In either case, elite forwards don't usually fall off a cliff in early-mid thirties.
11M is the 9th highest by percentage of cap in the modern era. By the latter years of his deal the increased cap will make it even less of a concern.

 

[KPower]

After reading the isles board, this couldn't have happened to a more deserving fan base.

 

[BAM]

Jeez, could you let Isles fans grieve in peace? The general gloating is fair game, but maybe leave what they are saying on their own board there?

There's grieving and then there's being complete scum with some of the comments they make. They're the latter for the most part.

 

[Cotton]

yes...to his boyhood team

After giving the Isles a big discount and getting essentially jerked around for 9 years. He also bettered his life and situation in every way with the move. With Matthews it would be a completely different scenario, but regardless, it could happen. And people would gloat in Leafs fans faces mercilessly, hell, people now think LouLam is going to get revenge on the Leafs for signing Tavares... revenge for signing a FA.

 

[43Kadri43]

eh, in hockey guys tend to produce more in their early - mid 20's. If anything I'd say Tavares is towards the end of his prime where regression starts. Usually around 26-27 years old

You’re right, but it’s worth noting that superstars don’t typically follow traditional aging curves. Tavares will likely be very productive for the duration of his contract, and his underlying numbers the past couple years suggest he may not have peaked just yet.

But you’re right, players do tend to peak in their early-to-mid 20’s (forwards anyway; defensemen tend to peak around 25 in terms of GAR impact if I remember correctly).

 

[Critical13]

yes...to his boyhood team

That would mean we have him for 7 more years. We’d probably deal him if he gets that close to FA. I’m fine with that scenario, I definitely wouldn’t whine like some Islander fans are and attack his family or wish him injury.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

The move makes sense for him even outside of the fact that the Leafs are a childhood favorite club of his. The Isles pretty much wasted away close to a decade of his hockey career, and probably would've done just the same had John re-signed (I mean, they went on to sign Komarov to that putrid contract after John left).

This is still a bit surreal as a Leafs fan, going from a bleak outlook a few years ago to f***ing Matthews and Tavares as your two best players.

 

[TorstenFrings]

There's grieving and then there's being complete scum with some of the comments they make. They're the latter for the most part.

In part I agree with you, but what is achieved by bringing that to the MBs?

That would mean nobody would talk about anything around here. When Leafs fans were throwing jerseys on the ice, did people not discuss that on the main boards, or did they respect the Leafs fans privacy in that situation? Hmmm?

Ok, now I feel bad for replying after I said I was done, but just to clarify: discussing what they say in the media and on the HF MBs is fine. So is what they do in their stadium during games. It is only bringing shit from the Isles board here, that I was taking offense with.

 

[mikemar1]

That would mean we have him for 7 more years. We’d probably deal him if he gets that close to FA. I’m fine with that scenario, I definitely wouldn’t whine like some Islander fans are and attack his family or wish him injury.

I'm sure some would. Let's hope it never comes to that though.