Trades and Free Agency - 2022-23 Season Edition

[Fogelhund]

I’d be legitimately shocked if any one of those players ever puts up a 60 point season. I thought Amirov would be able to one day, but then his cancer, now you just hope he gets better.

I’d love more than anything for Bunting to take something like 3.5/7, but if he matches last season’s numbers he’s pricing himself into 5+ territory. I can see him taking a cut rate but nothing too crazy here.

If you are good enough to play on a line with Matthews and Marner, it would be kind of shocking not to put up near sixty points. Hyman's last two years were 60 point pace, and Bunting was last year. Not to take anything away from those two players, but if you are good enough to play with them, that's what you are going to put up. That requires being good enough to play with them of course.

What I'm saying, is playing with star players, helps your circumstances a great deal. Crosby did this for years with mediocre wingers. Put Bunting or Hyman with more average players, and I doubt they crack 40 points.... that's why they are complimentary, not core players. If you have more complimentary players to fill those spots, that's what you do.

Of course, everyone was legitimately shocked that Bunting put up that many points too....

 

[Voodoo Child]

Bunting hasn't made much bank to date and this could be his only big pay day. I think he'll take care of himself instead of taking a discount to stay here.

There is some money coming off the books, but will it be enough?

A thousand other things can happen. What if Muzzin gets another concussion? Will he thug it out for a final year or will he get waterfront property on Robidas Island? What if, god forbid (but we all expect), there’s another first round exit and a big shakeup needs to happen?

And of course everything is in service to the Matthews and Nylander deals in a few years and Mitch the year after. I’m hoping that they’re sat down and told ‘you’re young and have already gotten your bags, now it’s time to put the team ahead of yourselves.’, but really it won’t happen.

But realistically, Matthews 14, Mitch 12, Willy 9. I hope cap risers make it a lot more bearable this time.

 

[Fogelhund]

There is some money coming off the books, but will it be enough?

A thousand other things can happen. What if Muzzin gets another concussion? Will he thug it out for a final year or will he get waterfront property on Robidas Island? What if, god forbid (but we all expect), there’s another first round exit and a big shakeup needs to happen?

And of course everything is in service to the Matthews and Nylander deals in a few years and Mitch the year after. I’m hoping that they’re sat down and told ‘you’re young and have already gotten your bags, now it’s time to put the team ahead of yourselves.’, but really it won’t happen.

But realistically, Matthews 14, Mitch 12, Willy 9. I hope cap risers make it a lot more bearable this time.

and Tavares at $4-5 mil.... There is a good possibility, that these four collectively, end up taking up the same cap number they have now, once the new contracts kick in.

 

[notdoneyet]

There is some money coming off the books, but will it be enough?

A thousand other things can happen. What if Muzzin gets another concussion? Will he thug it out for a final year or will he get waterfront property on Robidas Island? What if, god forbid (but we all expect), there’s another first round exit and a big shakeup needs to happen?

And of course everything is in service to the Matthews and Nylander deals in a few years and Mitch the year after. I’m hoping that they’re sat down and told ‘you’re young and have already gotten your bags, now it’s time to put the team ahead of yourselves.’, but really it won’t happen.

But realistically, Matthews 14, Mitch 12, Willy 9. I hope cap risers make it a lot more bearable this time.

matthews 15
Marner 14
Willy 10

 

[zeke]

 

[zeke]

They have already replaced him, that's Sergachev's new job and guys like Foote and Myers are going to do Sergachev's old job

They also got rid of McDoungh because they are concerned his play will drop off as he ages out of his prime, they got his good years and now don't have to worry about his eventual decline

This is extremely good asset management and if Sandin or Liljegren can take over Muzzins job this season or next we will try to do exactly the same thing

They lost their #2D and top matchup dman for nothing and did not replace him.

That you're trying to convince yourself that a player who has been there for years and already playing top minutes is a "replacement" for him really says it all, tbh.

If the Leafs decide to move Muzzin, they won't have to lose him for nothing or be unable to replace him, because they have a much better cap situation and Muzzin has a much better contract.

 

[leafsfan5]

They have already replaced him, that's Sergachev's new job and guys like Foote and Myers are going to do Sergachev's old job

They also got rid of McDoungh because they are concerned his play will drop off as he ages out of his prime, they got his good years and now don't have to worry about his eventual decline

This is extremely good asset management and if Sandin or Liljegren can take over Muzzins job this season or next we will try to do exactly the same thing

Just because someone is replacing his role does not mean he will do it nearly as good

McDonagh was one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL and was their best defenseman in their cup run in 2020. Losing him will hurt TB. A lot.

Sergachev on the 2nd pair is something I'm very happy with as a Leafs fan. Not the best defensively and gets rattled easily. Bunting will have a field day with him

 

[LeafEgo]

Anyone think we can re-sign Bunting here after this season? I think he’d love to stay like Hyman would’ve liked to stay but he’s gonna be a heavily sought after UFA and it doesn’t seem the cap is gonna increase enough to make up the difference.

Maybe losing Kerfoot’ salary helps? Maybe he’s replaced by Robertson or Knies? I’d hate to lose Bunting, he’s been great and adds some grittiness the rest of the team lacks

Depends how the season goes. If Bunting stays with Matty and Mitch and they continue their success from last season, optimistically they could cement themselves as the best line in hockey.

I think that would make the situation different than Hyman. It could cause a shake up, potentially moving pending ufa Nylander for assets instead of losing Bunting for free.

If that line helps them over the playoff hump, even more likely.

 

[Stephen]

He would actually need an injury for that to happen. Either way we need to be under the cap before doing that to be able to take full advantage of that situation.

The way he’s missed time in preseason so far would lead me to believe you could make a plausible cause for Lupulitis. Chronic back issues, concussions last year.

 

[LeafSteel]

You hardly hear a peep about Robertson being unsigned in Dallas.

Imagine all the donkey-headed conjecture and doom forecasting if the Leafs were at the same position with a similar RFA of Robertson's calibre? Every single talking head would be losing their shit 24/7.

Offer-sheets! 24/7 impending doom forecasting! Dubas incompetence! End of the world as we know it!

The media here really does suck rocks more often than not.

 

[Stephen]

Just because someone is replacing his role does not mean he will do it nearly as good

McDonagh was one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL and was their best defenseman in their cup run in 2020. Losing him will hurt TB. A lot.

Sergachev on the 2nd pair is something I'm very happy with as a Leafs fan. Not the best defensively and gets rattled easily. Bunting will have a field day with him

Sergachev is a high skill player but sometimes seems to react to heavy forechecking like a Jake Gardiner. I wouldn’t poo poo him too hard but Tampa definitely lost some of their championship fiber with McDonagh getting shipped out. He’s been a deep run playoff performer throughout his career.

 

[zeke]

You hardly hear a peep about Robertson being unsigned in Dallas.

Imagine all the donkey-headed conjecture and doom forecasting if the Leafs were at the same position with a similar RFA of Robertson's calibre? Every single talking head would be losing their shit 24/7.

Offer-sheets! 24/7 impending doom forecasting! Dubas incompetence! End of the world as we know it!

The media here really does suck rocks more often than not.

heheh they were literally talking about the leafs losing Bunting at the end of the year....during a preseason game!

Just because someone is replacing his role does not mean he will do it nearly as good

McDonagh was one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL and was their best defenseman in their cup run in 2020. Losing him will hurt TB. A lot.

Sergachev on the 2nd pair is something I'm very happy with as a Leafs fan. Not the best defensively and gets rattled easily. Bunting will have a field day with him

Sergachev 22:28toi
McDonagh 22:27toi (with the top defensive matchup duty and PK instead of PP time)

no matter how many times it's repeated, Sergachev is not a "replacement" for McDonagh. He was already there in a very big role.

If the leafs lose Marner, Willy doesn't "replace" him.

This is a very silly way of trying to diminish the loss of their top matchup Dman.

 

[Fogelhund]

Depends how the season goes. If Bunting stays with Matty and Mitch and they continue their success from last season, optimistically they could cement themselves as the best line in hockey.

I think that would make the situation different than Hyman. It could cause a shake up, potentially moving pending ufa Nylander for assets instead of losing Bunting for free.

If that line helps them over the playoff hump, even more likely.

That really depends on how the season goes. If it doesn't go well, as in playoff round wins, sure, maybe a shakeup is needed. If it goes well, in no world do you move Nylander, to make room for Bunting.

 

[zeke]

Anyone think we can re-sign Bunting here after this season? I think he’d love to stay like Hyman would’ve liked to stay but he’s gonna be a heavily sought after UFA and it doesn’t seem the cap is gonna increase enough to make up the difference.

Maybe losing Kerfoot’ salary helps? Maybe he’s replaced by Robertson or Knies? I’d hate to lose Bunting, he’s been great and adds some grittiness the rest of the team lacks

We have tons of capspace to sign Bunting, if we want to.

 

[LeafEgo]

That really depends on how the season goes. If it doesn't go well, as in playoff round wins, sure, maybe a shakeup is needed. If it goes well, in no world do you move Nylander, to make room for Bunting.

If we created the best line in hockey this year and that line helped us finally get playoff wins, you would dismantle it for nothing instead of moving Nylander for (hopefully) equal value and revert back to our previous position at a higher cost? That's going backwards.

It was a hypothetical that could lead to us keeping Bunting.

 

[leafsfan5]

Sergachev is a high skill player but sometimes seems to react to heavy forechecking like a Jake Gardiner. I wouldn’t poo poo him too hard but Tampa definitely lost some of their championship fiber with McDonagh getting shipped out. He’s been a deep run playoff performer throughout his career.

One of the big advantages of Tampa's team was their big and heavy defensive core. McDonagh, Hedman, Cernak would be awful to fight in the corners against for 7 games. They're now easier to play against and that's a great thing for us

Sergachev is a good player, but we won't fill the McDonagh hole. It's a tough one to replace

 

[LeafSteel]

I don't want to be overly optimistic considering how things went the last time, but I'm really hoping the fact that Dubas gave such an accommodating contract to both Marner and Matthews, and the fact that the 3 of them (Matthews/Marner/Bunting) all seem to genuinely like each other helps factor into all 3 of their contract demands coming up.

They will get paid, but they also have the opportunity to stay together on an elite and still improving team, in a premiere market and significant endorsement opportunity.

What's not to like about their current set up? They will be exceptionally wealthy young men, in a market that will idolize them, and a social scene that they clearly enjoy being a part of (Raptors games, Blue Jays).

They can do a whole lot worse for a few less bucks, minus the extras that playing in Toronto has to offer.

Interesting times indeed. Hoping we can get them fair and long-term signed......

 

[Fogelhund]

If we created the best line in hockey this year and that line helped us finally get playoff wins, you would dismantle it for nothing instead of moving Nylander for (hopefully) equal value and revert back to our previous position at a higher cost? That's going backwards.

It was a hypothetical that could lead to us keeping Bunting.

It would be the best line in hockey, mostly because of Matthews and Marner, plus a complimentary forward. That complimentary forward is pretty plug and play, much more replaceable than a Nylander. I also don't understand how you propose to move Nylander to save money on the cap, and get a player of equal value, but a much lower cap hit.

Bunting is a very good complimentary player. Nylander is core. You don't move Core to make room for Complimentary.... particularly when it appears you have multiple prospects that could take his place.

Many said the say thing when 60 point pace Hyman left... and he was replaced by 60 point Bunting...

 

[ACC1224]

I don't want to be overly optimistic considering how things went the last time, but I'm really hoping the fact that Dubas gave such an accommodating contract to both Marner and Matthews, and the fact that the 3 of them (Matthews/Marner/Bunting) all seem to genuinely like each other helps factor into all 3 of their contract demands coming up.

They will get paid, but they also have the opportunity to stay together on an elite and still improving team, in a premiere market and significant endorsement opportunity.

What's not to like about their current set up? They will be exceptionally wealthy young men, in a market that will idolize them, and a social scene that they clearly enjoy being a part of (Raptors games, Blue Jays).

They can do a whole lot worse for a few less bucks, minus the extras that playing in Toronto has to offer.

Interesting times indeed. Hoping we can get them fair and long-term signed......

One of these is not like the others.

 

[LeafSteel]

One of these is not like the others.

Only in the sense that they are players we want to re-sign, and we dread what each one is going to ask for.....

 

[ACC1224]

Only in the sense that they are players we want to re-sign, and we dread what each one is going to ask for.....

Two have already made a fortune and will be topping that up, one is looking for a first payday.

 

[Stephen]

One of the big advantages of Tampa's team was their big and heavy defensive core. McDonagh, Hedman, Cernak would be awful to fight in the corners against for 7 games. They're now easier to play against and that's a great thing for us

Sergachev is a good player, but we won't fill the McDonagh hole. It's a tough one to replace

Well they do have guys like Fleury, Myers trying to plug those big defense roles but hopefully it doesn’t work out for them.

 

[Gabriel426]

You hardly hear a peep about Robertson being unsigned in Dallas.

Imagine all the donkey-headed conjecture and doom forecasting if the Leafs were at the same position with a similar RFA of Robertson's calibre? Every single talking head would be losing their shit 24/7.

Offer-sheets! 24/7 impending doom forecasting! Dubas incompetence! End of the world as we know it!

The media here really does suck rocks more often than not.

Not just that, imagine Mack was a Leafs and didn’t sign his contract on July 1st after winning the Cup.
It would be non stop about Mack is planning to sign with Pens and play with Sid once he hits UFA….Leafs need to trade Mack in order to get a package like how the Flames did with Tkachuk….

 

[leafsfan5]

Well they do have guys like Fleury, Myers trying to plug those big defense roles but hopefully it doesn’t work out for them.

The main difference is those guys aren't elite defensively, McDonagh, Cernak and Hedman are.

 

[Kurtz]

One of these is not like the others.

Indeed - Bunting is the only one of the 3 who took less money to play for the Leafs. I bet he'll do it again on his next deal.