I was excited about the possibility of a player like Stamkos hitting the open market. It happens so rarely I really wanted to see how it went down. I also wanted the Leafs to make an offer for a simple reason: it's really hard to get guys like him, because they become available so rarely. And, let's be honest, everybody wants a shiny new toy, right? It's only natural.
However, deep down, it didn't make a whole lot of sense for a team in the Leafs' situation to chase him.
They just finished dead last. All of their best assets are 18-22 years old. I know there are expectations in this forum that with Matthews and Marner the Leafs are suddenly a contender, but I think that's a tad unrealistic considering their age.
A more likely reality is this group matures together (along with other pieces yet to be added) for 2-3 years and then are in a position to make a leap. That's not to say I expect them to continue to finish at the bottom of the league. Improvement should happen as time goes by.
Realistically, by the time the Leafs are ready to make a leap Stamkos will be 29-30 and probably into his declining years with a 9+ million cap hit. I don't see how the presence of Stamkos would have helped accelerate the development curves of Rielly, Marner, Matthews, Nylander, etc.
