News Article: Paraphrased, If we do well Quote: "it’d be unreal to stay.”

[ToneDog]

I am getting a bad feeling that we are gonna sign all 3 to long term deals full NMC and we will be stuck in groundhog day for another 8 yrs?....Noooooooooooooooooo...............oooooooooooooooooo

I do not think so because Tavares is off the books when Marner is due but if you are right, then the goal should be the President's trophy because that is the only team trophy they will sniff.

 

[Mess]

I am getting a bad feeling that we are gonna sign all 3 to long term deals full NMC and we will be stuck in groundhog day for another 8 yrs?....Noooooooooooooooooo...............oooooooooooooooooo

That bad feeling is reality setting in.

Matthews at $13.5 and Marner at $12.5 and Nylander @ $9.5 mil with JT coming off $11 mil and Morgan Rielly now making $7.5 mil.

From Cap Hell right back into Cap Hell with the same core players is sadly the most likely outcome.

The ones the suffer the most are the loyal fans not because they don't get to see their favourite star players but because it prevents and hinders the team from winning and thus every season ends in disappointment.

 

[myleafs]

That bad feeling is reality setting in.

Matthews at $13.5 and Marner at $12.5 and Nylander @ $9.5 mil with JT coming off $11 mil and Morgan Rielly now making $7.5 mil.

From Cap Hell right back into Cap Hell with the same core players is sadly the most likely outcome.

The ones the suffer the most are the loyal fans not because they don't get to see their favourite star players but because it prevents and hinders the team from winning and thus every season ends in disappointment.

I may have to take a break from the leafs for the first time in decades if it all goes down like this. The thought of watching the leafs it run back again and again with this group is nauseating at best.

 

[CDN24]

Can someone point out Caulfield career highs?

since you asked, there is playoff games- no one on that comparable list has more playoff games in a season (20). Tkachuk is tied with him.

 

[ACC1224]

That bad feeling is reality setting in.

Matthews at $13.5 and Marner at $12.5 and Nylander @ $9.5 mil with JT coming off $11 mil and Morgan Rielly now making $7.5 mil.

From Cap Hell right back into Cap Hell with the same core players is sadly the most likely outcome.

The ones the suffer the most are the loyal fans not because they don't get to see their favourite star players but because it prevents and hinders the team from winning and thus every season ends in disappointment.

I certainly don't feel like I'm suffering.
The decade beginning in 2005 was painful, this is nothing in comparison.

 

[Trapper]

I may have to take a break from the leafs for the first time in decades if it all goes down like this. The thought of watching the leafs it run back again and again with this group is nauseating at best.

We have to see who they keep, how much they pay to keep them and what they do around the same old.
Then for sure, I might need to wait it out…watching something else.

 

[myleafs]

I certainly don't feel like I'm suffering.
The decade beginning in 2005 was painful, this is nothing in comparison.

I hear you...there have been some dark days as a leaf fan but things have just gotten stale....we keep trying the same thing and it is not working unless you are just happy to make the playoffs but have no real passion to go far in the playoffs. We tried it Dubas way whether we wanted to as fans or not. To just keep going down the same path seems like giving up to me. Even a mouse knows to try a different route when the cheese isnt at the end of the path they are on.

 

[Rude Dog]

I certainly don't feel like I'm suffering.
The decade beginning in 2005 was painful, this is nothing in comparison.

Completely agree. Sure, the lack of play-off success has been painful, but at least they have iced teams which were good enough to potentially win this decade. I have spent probably 80% of my life cheering for a team I knew had no shot by the end of training camp.

For the most part this is a fun team to watch minus their lack of push back physically. That is something I still can't stomach.

 

[mjd1001]

That bad feeling is reality setting in.

Matthews at $13.5 and Marner at $12.5 and Nylander @ $9.5 mil with JT coming off $11 mil and Morgan Rielly now making $7.5 mil.

From Cap Hell right back into Cap Hell with the same core players is sadly the most likely outcome.

The ones the suffer the most are the loyal fans not because they don't get to see their favourite star players but because it prevents and hinders the team from winning and thus every season ends in disappointment.

Every week I re-evaluate and I am coming to the same conclusion. This core can win the cup and if they stay together for a few more years I think they will at least go farther in the playoffs, if not make it to the cup. At the same time a am all for splitting them up because I think you can do at least the same with assets you get back by trading them and I find this core-4 slightly less than likeable.

The numbers you put there aren't awful. As I said even with those contracts I think you can win the cup with some luck. But, I don't like them. Pastrnack at $11.25. Tage Thompson at $7.1. Jack Hughes at 8.0. Tkachuk at 9.5. Stutzle at 8.3.

Those are deals that were just signed recently and at some point in the next few years are likely to be MAJOR bargains (if they aren't already). The Leafs need to have a couple stars signed for a team friendly deal. I don't see any of that with this core. Where are the home-town discounts that year after year we expect because everyone wants to play here?

 

[ACC1224]

I hear you...there have been some dark days as a leaf fan but things have just gotten stale....we keep trying the same thing and it is not working unless you are just happy to make the playoffs but have no real passion to go far in the playoffs. We tried it Dubas way whether we wanted to as fans or not. To just keep going down the same path seems like giving up to me. Even a mouse knows to try a different route when the cheese isnt at the end of the path they are on.

Bolded is dumb and no fan thinks that way.

 

[Mess]

I certainly don't feel like I'm suffering.
The decade beginning in 2005 was painful, this is nothing in comparison.

In terms of regular season perhaps.

However because of all the playoff failure there is now a desire to be able to fast forward during the regular season simply to get to the playoffs to see what happens. The regular season results themselves mean little as the Leafs end up losing to teams that finished nearly 20 points behind them in the standings in Montreal and Florida in the playoffs. The embarrassing loss to arch rival Montreal after being up 3-1 in the series felt like a kick in the teeth and almost getting swept by Florida a kick to the groin in terms of painful.

The Burke era was very painful no doubt, however back then the team played 82 regular season games, and in this last decade the team plays 82 reg + 7 or less games for 89 game seasons. Flaming out in round #1 year after year when expectations are high, simply bring on more disappointment for very little joy.

From a perspective of a season ticket holder I get it like yourself.. You pay good money and when you attend games in person you're entertained by the talent on the ice, which is exactly MLSE #1 objective to ticket pricing and profitability.

Sports are for entertainment, much like going out to see a good Movie or Fine Dining and socializing with friends. However as a fan the ultimate goal is to win in the playoffs, much like going out to a fancy Restaurant for dinner, and the regular season just the appetizer course, but then when the main course comes out our steak is not medium rare but burnt and well done, and there is no desert course at all as the evening ends abruptly without a Cup, as the Restaurant is only serving humble pie anyways, and your friends leave in disappointement sticking you with the bill.

 

[notbias]

In terms of regular season perhaps.

However because of all the playoff failure there is now a desire to be able to fast forward during the regular season simply to get to the playoffs to see what happens. The regular season results themselves mean little as the Leafs end up losing to teams that finished nearly 20 points behind them in the standings in Montreal and Florida in the playoffs. The embarrassing loss to arch rival Montreal after being up 3-1 in the series felt like a kick in the teeth and almost getting swept by Florida a kick to the groin in terms of painful.

The Burke era was very painful no doubt, however back then the team played 82 regular season games, and in this last decade the team plays 82 reg + 7 or less games for 89 game seasons. Flaming out in round #1 year after year when expectations are high, simply bring on more disappointment for very little joy.

From a perspective of a season ticket holder I get it like yourself.. You pay good money and when you attend games in person you're entertained by the talent on the ice, which is exactly MLSE #1 objective to ticket pricing and profitability.

However as a fan the ultimate goal is to win in the playoffs, and the regular season just the appetizer course, but then when the main course comes out our steak is not medium rare but burnt and well done, and there is no desert course at all as the evening ends abruptly without a Cup, as the Restaurant is only serving humble pie anyways.

For someone that cares so much about the cap, it is crazy how you harp so much on the Montreal series, we should have lost, we were down 10 million in cap. It is a miracle it went to 7, right?

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I can't wait to see how this gets sorted out. Re-signing AM and WN means Marner is gone.

Or:

They buy out Murray.

Continue to have a light weight/league min bottom 6 until the playoffs.

Trade for better players at the deadline (no cap after the deadline).

Either way there will be an enormous waste of 1st round picks, futures, and dead money.

I don't exactly know a solution, but I feel deep down that Nylander is the best trade asset to bolster your team and not waste assets/have dead money.

 

[ToneDog]

I can't wait to see how this gets sorted out. Re-signing AM and WN means Marner is gone.

Or:

They buy out Murray.

Continue to have a light weight/league min bottom 6 until the playoffs.

Trade for better players at the deadline (no cap after the deadline).

Either way there will be an enormous waste of 1st round picks, futures, and dead money.

I don't exactly know a solution, but I feel deep down that Nylander is the best trade asset to bolster your team and not waste assets/have dead money.

Continuing to pay draft capital for little playoff success is not a wise move IMO. These guys need to get it done. The cupboard is virtually bare.

 

[ToneDog]

Every week I re-evaluate and I am coming to the same conclusion. This core can win the cup and if they stay together for a few more years I think they will at least go farther in the playoffs, if not make it to the cup. At the same time a am all for splitting them up because I think you can do at least the same with assets you get back by trading them and I find this core-4 slightly less than likeable.

The numbers you put there aren't awful. As I said even with those contracts I think you can win the cup with some luck. But, I don't like them. Pastrnack at $11.25. Tage Thompson at $7.1. Jack Hughes at 8.0. Tkachuk at 9.5. Stutzle at 8.3.

Those are deals that were just signed recently and at some point in the next few years are likely to be MAJOR bargains (if they aren't already). The Leafs need to have a couple stars signed for a team friendly deal. I don't see any of that with this core. Where are the home-town discounts that year after year we expect because everyone wants to play here?

You went from thinking like Shanny to thinking like most Leafs fans.

 

[Gabriel426]

I can't wait to see how this gets sorted out. Re-signing AM and WN means Marner is gone.

Or:

They buy out Murray.

Continue to have a light weight/league min bottom 6 until the playoffs.

Trade for better players at the deadline (no cap after the deadline).

Either way there will be an enormous waste of 1st round picks, futures, and dead money.

I don't exactly know a solution, but I feel deep down that Nylander is the best trade asset to bolster your team and not waste assets/have dead money.

The problem lies with having 3 10mil plus players. That’s the elephant in the room that most kept side tracking or just ignore.
It is not Willie or Reilly or depth or defense or goalie. Those three guys with 10mil plus contracts need to play like they are the best player in each game bc they are paid like it. If one of them play like they are the best in the game and delivering, it won’t be a problem.

 

[yubbers]

I may have to take a break from the leafs for the first time in decades if it all goes down like this. The thought of watching the leafs it run back again and again with this group is nauseating at best.

I just got back after 2 years off cause of Dubas.

I guess there would be no Leafier outcome. *sigh*

 

[Sypher04]

Bratt just took a team friendly long term deal. Let's see what our guys do.

Bratt isn’t worth a single dollar more than he got from Jersey.

 

[hamzarocks]

Bratt isn’t worth a single dollar more than he got from Jersey.

He got full term for max value

Marner + Matthews got reduced term for max(likely over max value).

Same with Nylander when he signed

Getting 8 year term is big in the signing. He will be there for their full contention window and they dont have to give another deal to him as after this deal Devils likely looking to rebuild (9 years from now)

 

[AvroArrow]

Bratt isn’t worth a single dollar more than he got from Jersey.

I'm all for signing Matthews 13x8, will he give us an 8 year commitment ?

Bratt made a commitment to New Jersey and IMO could have got closer to 8.5 if he really demanded it

 

[Ianturnedbull]

The problem lies with having 3 10mil plus players. That’s the elephant in the room that most kept side tracking or just ignore.
It is not Willie or Reilly or depth or defense or goalie. Those three guys with 10mil plus contracts need to play like they are the best player in each game bc they are paid like it. If one of them play like they are the best in the game and delivering, it won’t be a problem.

I agree. I think that it will be difficult to trade Marner without retention, Matthews is staying (we have no star centers in the pipeline), and Tavares will be near impossible to move. Who else can you get a solid return for? It has to be WN.

 

[Menzinger]

It would likely make sense - if the plan is to move forward with the core forwards - to get the extension with Nylander done first. It likely won't make much of a difference to Matthews next dela, and gives a firmer idea of where you want the Matthews aav to be depending on term

 

[nuck]

That bad feeling is reality setting in.

Matthews at $13.5 and Marner at $12.5 and Nylander @ $9.5 mil with JT coming off $11 mil and Morgan Rielly now making $7.5 mil.

From Cap Hell right back into Cap Hell with the same core players is sadly the most likely outcome.

The ones the suffer the most are the loyal fans not because they don't get to see their favourite star players but because it prevents and hinders the team from winning and thus every season ends in disappointment.

And with the same coach Keeping in mind Shanahan was fully intending to extend KD, I wonder why he thinks the club hasn't been more successful? Was it pretty much just Holl and Kerf holding the club back and now its on to the Cup? It seems like he feels they are a lot closer to winning big than they have shown so far and I can't figure out why that would be.

I don't think Shanny has a "fire the coach" bullet any more, that would/should have been Keefe. If BS survives another inexplicable playoff wilt it can only be because he has convinced the board that success in the regular season is a worthy enough goal.

 

[ToDavid]

That bad feeling is reality setting in.

Matthews at $13.5 and Marner at $12.5 and Nylander @ $9.5 mil with JT coming off $11 mil and Morgan Rielly now making $7.5 mil.

From Cap Hell right back into Cap Hell with the same core players is sadly the most likely outcome.

The ones the suffer the most are the loyal fans not because they don't get to see their favourite star players but because it prevents and hinders the team from winning and thus every season ends in disappointment.

Why don’t we simply not sign them to bad contracts?

 

[Hellcat]

Apparently he loves it?