Speculation: Has this contract talk affected Marner

[Randy Randerson]

fwiw, his shooting and OIsh%'s are both still quite a bit higher than you'd expect him to maintain so some regression in pace was probably inevitable and I think that will continue - now pacing for under 100pts and I think that will fall to the low 90's before it's all over. He definitely looked off last night, maybe his clumsiest game of the season

that's not necessarily bad either, Dubas can just respect their wish to wait until the offseason and let Marner's negotiating position soften in the process. Marner is going to be a terrific player but it would be nice to get him at a high $8M/low $9M AAV on an 8 year deal to let us sustain a contender for a while

another thing to consider is that we're only now really starting to see what this team looks like with everyone in the lineup being that Nylander's play has recently picked up, we should have lots of weapons and Marner doesn't need to be as productive as he's been so far

 

[HamiltonNHL]

high $8M/low $9M AAV on an 8 year deal

Add the Dubas overpay tax
+1.5
= 10.5

 

[PromisedLand]

Nope nothing to do with the contract

 

[Randy Randerson]

Add the Dubas overpay tax
+1.5
= 10.5

I think Nylander was the high end of the expected range. Matthews' ask for an 8 year deal was McDavid's % of cap of about 15.7%, and there was probably some discount to negotiate from McDavid but Matthews is nearly that efficient across the spectrum of metrics, so there's a case to be made that Dubas did fine AAV wise on Matthews given the term and opted for a shorter term because the cap crunch happens next year then we get some relief with Marleau being done

I don't love the performance so far either, but it's very hard to say that he's overpaid anyone by $1.5M per year

 

[hotpaws]

Add the Dubas overpay tax
+1.5
= 10.5

you forgot to reduce the term , lol

and the Dubie fan club will work overtime to spin the 11m x 4 yr deal as a genius signing and extremely team friendly

 

[zeke]

Players get hot and then cold and then hot and then cold and then

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Add the Dubas overpay tax
+1.5
= 10.5

1) He didn't overpay either Matthews or Nylander

2) Even of he does overpay these guys, who cares? Keep these guys here and happy.

Better than paying them less and then giving Hyman an Abdelkader deal going forward. People get weird about overpaying star players, when its usually the mid-tier guys that get overpaid and screw up the cap situation.

If it means one less Killorn/Callahan on the roster so be it.

 

[socko]

1) He didn't overpay either Matthews or Nylander

2) Even of he does overpay these guys, who cares? Keep these guys here and happy.

Better than paying them less and then giving Hyman an Abdelkader deal going forward. People get weird about overpaying star players, when its usually the mid-tier guys that get overpaid and screw up the cap situation.

If it means one less Killorn/Callahan on the roster so be it.

Well last year we had 18 playoff goals. Dubas has let go of:
JVR: 3
Plekanec: 2
Bozak: 2

And everyone wants to get rid of Marleau it seems:
Marleau: 4

So that takes away 11 of the 18 goals.

Are we sure Dubas is building the right kind of team?

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

Players get hot and then cold and then hot and then cold and then

... and then what!!! The suspense is killing me, damn it!

 

[JEI]

Didn't he dominate the day that story broke?

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Well last year we had 18 playoff goals. Dubas has let go of:
JVR: 3
Plekanec: 2
Bozak: 2

And everyone wants to get rid of Marleau it seems:
Marleau: 4

So that takes away 11 of the 18 goals.

Are we sure Dubas is building the right kind of team?

With those guys gone its surprising we've been able to score at all this year...

our best players are 22, 21, and 21 years old. We'll be fine. Somebody will score I'm sure.

 

[jrgtml67]

Think hes injured. I forget what game it was, but I believe it was a slash to the hands or an awkward fall he got up gingerly from..hes allowed to have off games out of anyone in our lineup. Does anyone recall what I'm talking about (injury)

 

[Throw More Waffles]

Quite possibly.

Matthews biggest slump of the season coincidentally was in the weeks leading up to his contract extension. Same thing now seems to be happening with Marner...

 

[Mr Hockey]

Think hes injured. I forget what game it was, but I believe it was a slash to the hands or an awkward fall he got up gingerly from..hes allowed to have off games out of anyone in our lineup. Does anyone recall what I'm talking about (injury)

I noticed that and I posted in the GDT yesterday that I think Mitch hurt his hand.

 

[al secord]

This thread is going to look ridiculous in a week.

 

[jrgtml67]

I noticed that and I posted in the GDT yesterday that I think Mitch hurt his hand.

Ya what game was it NYR game ya?

 

[nuck]

Is it just me or does Mitch seems like he is fighting the puck more. It seems this has just happened recently and coincides with his agent and the media talking about his contract and his having to answer all the reporters constant questions Do you think he is letting this bother him. We all know marner loves playing for the leafs and anytime this stuff is brought up I think it really bothers him and it is showing in his play. Not that his play is bad but not like what his usual skill is at.

Players do the hot and cold things all season. Minor injury, family issues, unhappy team mate, girl problems, fatigue from not adjusting training and nutrition to fit playing 20 minutes a night, or just a bit of bad puck luck has him starting to squeeze the stick too hard. I guess the contract thing could be a factor but I doubt it is eating him up too much. Guaranteed $8M+ per year for whatever term he wants whenever he feels like signing. Unless he is a greedy dick who is only driven by pushing the salary envelope to a new height the next contract should be something that puts a smile on his face every time he thinks about it (remember he is going up against the Scrooge Dubas). He is still ahead of Pasta, Ovy, Crosby, and Panarin in scoring and all of those guys could end up in the top 10. I do think the pp slump has affected him especially as it seems to me there was eventually enough film footage out there for other clubs to adapt but the club will adapt too. And remember last year he slowed down to "only" a ppg after a white hot mid-season and then still led the club in playoff scoring by a wide margin.

At age 21 he is still on a pace for over 90pts. Kucherov was working on 65pts at the same age. I am a lot more concerned about Matthews and Nylanders consistency then Marner right now. I just can't see a half empty glass with him.

 

[Dragao6]

I think so. It's not about his play but it seems that hes not having as much fun anymore. Smile is gone, hes very serious now even when he makes a play. To me it looks like it is affecting him

 

[Stephen]

It's putting a ton of pressure on him for sure.

 

[Canadian Finn]

it's tough mentally.

he has to figure out how he can get over paid, after the last two who signed also got overpaid.

after all, it's only fair.

 

[diceman934]

All the talk and focus is now squarely on Marner and his contract of course it is bothering him. He did hurt his hand the other night as well.

He needs a big night to get himself back on track and hopefully the concerns about his contact will either go away or Dubas can do the smart thing and get this done sooner rather then later.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Of course Marner is affected by the contract talk.

He is suppose to be buddies with Matthews, but chose to make the biggest day of Matthews life about Mitch Marner.

It was clearly a coordinated attach by the Marner camp waiting for that day, and it backfired.

 

[HandshakeLineRespect]

Pure speculation

 

[BlueForever75]

Like the PP the opposition have caught on to Marner. He's pass happy and rarely shoots. This is what has caused the PP to go stale and also what is impacting his play. Maybe the contract stuff is getting to him but I think he is too consistent with his tendencies which isn't granting him the opportunities.

 

[Mess]

Not sure how much the contract is effecting his thinking, perhaps it plays a small in a daily distraction.

I know every time I buy a lotto 6/49 when the pot is $10 mil or more, I sometimes find myself inadvertently dreaming up ways of spending it even before the numbers have been called yet.

Mitch is likely to be getting a $10 mil a year contract so for a young player that has to have some impact in their lives. Not sure though it happens much when he is in a game, but every point matters in his comparables so it has a connection to his future remuneration.