Should Dubas offer Zach Hyman a contract extension in the offseason and would he sign it?

[Suntouchable13]

The Leafs need a few Hyman type players... I cant believe how many people want him gone. I am shocked reading that... but I guess its cause fans know he will force Dubas to give him a huge contract when there is zero room

Situations like this is when it sucks having so many huge contracts taking up majority of cap space

We only want him gone if he is asking too much. I think we, as fans, are getting tired of seeing Dubas get owned in negotiations. We need him to come at a reasonable number, it’s that simple.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

We only want him gone if he is asking too much. I think we, as fans, are getting tired of seeing Dubas get owned in negotiations. We need him to come at a reasonable number, it’s that simple.

And it sucks cause this next contract will be the deal that Hyman will wanna get paid huge. I'd imagine he will want a long term deal at as high of number as possible. He will be 28/29 years old when he signs it so the time is now to cash in

He has made peanuts so far and that 4 year deal has been a massive underpayment. It's time to get paid

 

[pcruz]

No, Dubas should not go rush into Hyman until we have a comprehensive idea of what the flat cap landscape looks like. If there’s an appetite for stronger players to take a one year wait and see cup hunt type deal this summer and it seems like that will be a common short term trend, you want to have some room to take advantage, and you know you’ll be able to get Hyman cheaper than otherwise.

The last thing we need is for Dubas to be the first out of the gate spending money like a drunken sailor and have other teams learn from his mistakes.

We’ve spent the last 2-3 weeks screaming for more of certain types of players on this team to add onto the only one we have, yet you’re unsure if you want to keep him?

Hyman is worth Kapanen + Johnsson to me, easily. I’d let both of those leave before allowing the 20+ goal scoring grinder. Clone him instead and give 1 each to Matthews and Tavares.
Get a competent 3rd line and a speedy energetic 4th line, both with some jam.
Work on the blue line to add size, strength and structure.
Play the season.

 

[sparxx87]

Well, HOF’er Lou also signed Zaitsev to 7 years after barely finishing his first season and he got bent over by Marleau.

True. That situation was poorly handled as well, but it should have happened differently. Zaitsev is a serviceable 2nd pair d man with a very useful skill set. His weaknesses are core/lower body strength and confidence. That’s workable with the right insulation.

In his first year - Rielly was used in a shutdown role with almost nothing but defensive and PK and this allowed Zaitsev 1st PP which he played reasonably well. He’s a decent penalty killer, blocks shots and has a good defensive stick to break up plays. That profiles as someone who fits comfortably on your second pair in that dollar range. Your 3-4 PK’er and 2nd PP. you’d love it at $3.5m but you’ll take it at $4.5m given the age of the player.

Problem started in the next year when they still hadn’t acquired a top pairing RHD and Rielly was given 1PP - that completely changed his role into a shutdown d. He needs someone like Muzzin to take pressure off him, not someone like Gardiner that adds to it. Him and Muzzin looked good together in their time.

Rielly - _____
Muzzin - Zaitsev

That’s 3/4 of a solid top 4 although still missing a big piece.

Zaitsev understood and respected Babcock, he said as much... but he eventually got tired of the fans and media slandering him for struggling in a role he wasn’t hired for.


A number of people share blame in the Zaitsev situation.

 

[Stephen]

We’ve spent the last 2-3 weeks screaming for more of certain types of players on this team to add onto the only one we have, yet you’re unsure if you want to keep him?

Hyman is worth Kapanen + Johnsson to me, easily. I’d let both of those leave before allowing the 20+ goal scoring grinder. Clone him instead and give 1 each to Matthews and Tavares.
Get a competent 3rd line and a speedy energetic 4th line, both with some jam.
Work on the blue line to add size, strength and structure.
Play the season.

Hyman is a great player and exactly what we need but Dubas backed the Leafs finances into a corner and the flat cap means we have a brand new economic world to understand and navigate.

Because we need so many upgrades and we have no idea what the economic landscape will be, we can’t just hand out a long term contract to Hyman however much we like and need him. Just have to be straight up and tell him we want to keep you but the landscape is too uncertain for the contract to be offered now.

 

[Carltons Cup]

Are we talking US dollars or Dubie dollars?

 

[LeafsNation75]

Well, HOF’er Lou also signed Zaitsev to 7 years after barely finishing his first season and he got bent over by Marleau.

At least Hyman has proven he's a better player compared to Zaitsev.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

I'm still not a fan of Hyman but he played well in the playoffs. Having said that,

I think Hyman will give the Leafs a break on aav if they give him friendly term.

If he'd agree to something under 4 mil aav they should sign it even if it's for 6 or 7 years

... this is madness. Hyman is not the type of player you sign through their mid-30s. Skilled players can adapt their style of play and still make themselves useful even if they lose a step. A slower Hyman is a fourth liner.

 

[TmlHockeyFan]

Sign him for $15 mil x 8 years.

 

[PromisedLand]

My guess is that Hyman walks as a UFA. Why?

The good ol eye-test. Hyman battles hard and when he sees most of his team mates coast that is not a good feeling;

 

[selltrade]

Cant afford him. Trade now for D

 

[kabidjan18]

I posed a thought on the Trade/UFA board and got some reactions, so now I pass it on to you all.

Would you all bite at this. And would Dubas bite at this. Resign Hyman. Trade Hyman for Samuel Girard and Tyson Jost.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Hyman scored more goals than Marner

 

[Trapper]

Yes but,
It doesn’t matter.
One Zach Hyman isn’t going to matter if the rest isn’t defensive first, team first, harder play/intensity.

 

[seanlinden]

With the flat cap for the next 3 years, I just don't see how they're going to give Hyman much more than what guys like Kapanen/Kerfoot/Johnsson earn right now.

That being said, we are in a new economic reality. "Accessory Players"; which Hyman is a stereotypical example of are likely going to face the brunt of the hit from a flat cap, older veterans tied into long term deals, and young players who's teams are afraid to lose them. I think the days of the Justin Abdelkader's of the world getting $4m plus long term are gone.

That being said, as others have mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hyman play the long game. He's a UFA, so he can get trade protection. The Leafs are probably one of the only teams in the league that can afford to front-load and bonus-laden a deal right now. The other top teams around the league are all going to be quite cap-strapped next summer anyways. If his alternative is going somewhere where he knows he's unlikely to be successful, or taking a major haircut to remain in Toronto -- there's a lot about his personal background that would lean him towards taking that haircut.

 

[Future]

Should not pay him a cent over 4 million. 3.5 is probably about right for him.

His stats are seriously inflated playing on lines with Matthews/Tavares.

Don’t get me wrong, I like him as a player. But he is what he is.

 

[AppsSyl]

I would have a deal agreed upon, but wait until expansion draft is done, so that he doesn't count because he is a UFA, and then sign him.

 

[3headeddragon]

Absolutely, if you can lock him up reasonably, the key is reasonably, you do it. It also allows you to know where his agents head is at. In case you need to listen to trades.

 

[kb]

Right at this moment I don't understand why the Leafs would offer to resign him early and possibly create an issue for the Seattle expansion draft.

Let him go through the expansion draft (where he requires no protection - nor can he be selected as a pending UFA) and then sign him back before he gets to UFA.

If the Leafs can move Johnsson and/or Engvall, then sure!

 

[Faltorvo]

And it sucks cause this next contract will be the deal that Hyman will wanna get paid huge. I'd imagine he will want a long term deal at as high of number as possible. He will be 28/29 years old when he signs it so the time is now to cash in

He has made peanuts so far and that 4 year deal has been a massive underpayment. It's time to get paid

ummm,,no

 

[Faltorvo]

We’ve spent the last 2-3 weeks screaming for more of certain types of players on this team to add onto the only one we have, yet you’re unsure if you want to keep him?

Hyman is worth Kapanen + Johnsson to me, easily. I’d let both of those leave before allowing the 20+ goal scoring grinder. Clone him instead and give 1 each to Matthews and Tavares.
Get a competent 3rd line and a speedy energetic 4th line, both with some jam.
Work on the blue line to add size, strength and structure.
Play the season.

no thanks,,his stats are phat thanks to the stars he plays with and will want to get over paid

trade him while his value is high and hunt down a like minded player HUNGRY to earn a NHL check

 

[wired14]

Hyman is great, and as several have stated but it is worth repeating: we need him and more like him!

As for a decline in his production, yes that will likely happen in the coming years, but he has actually gotten better for us every year and was fantastic this year after major surgery. Even if he starts to decline, he is still valuable because he can slot into lower lines and still provide valuable penalty killing minutes.

 

[nsleaf]

Resign him and then clone him.

 

[downer ending]

I love Hyman but he's the kinda guy you sign for like 5 for 5

He banged in a lot of goals this year but I don't think his grinding will always translate into that

 

[thewave]

He is the guy you probably should keep, but also the guy that you can't overpay and will expect an overpay. Sell high.