TT went from 35 points in 78 games in his last year in Chicago to 42 points in 81 games in his first year in Carolina. Not really significantly increased production so much as an increase in TOI (1300 minute vs 1200) and opportunity (15 PP Points vs 9 in Chicago).
For me, whereas Aho looked like he was just “heating up” last year and has more room to grow, TT looked like he was overachieving. I’d be pleasantly surprised if TT had another “step forward” to take after just putting up 64 points. More likely I think he is a 50-60 point perimeter winger that has exceptional chemistry with Aho. If the Canes were to get cute after they are eliminated from the Playoffs they could probably separate Aho and TT (maybe play Aho-Svech for the last 2-3 months) and drive down TT’s production/value for RFA negotiations.
While I certainly understand your point, I think there are a lot of measures that one could look at to indicated he's taken some pretty big steps....not the least of which, I believe is in his own confidence. Perhaps the best indicator of that is both shots taken and shots on goal - both of which increased notably year over year in each of the last two seasons. Yes, he did score more goals on the powerplay and one less goal even strength in the year he transitioned from CHI to CAR. That said, his overall even strength production has increased each of the last two years (25 points to 27 points to 44 points). In my opinion, he's a guy who is creative and has even more to give.
I'm with Lempo. TT is coming off a career year in the 1st of his "show me" deal and IMO, a lot of his success was driven a lot by Aho. I think they want to make sure that TT can repeat what he did, show that he's serious with his offseason training (which has been a question mark in prior seasons and in Chicago), and show that he can have success that isn't completely dependent on Aho. It's a gamble, but I'd rather wait and make sure he performs before giving him a big deal rather than trying to lock him up long term now.
They can always see how he comes into camp and starts the season. They don't have to wait until his deal is up and they don't have to get it done this summer.
While I don't disagree with either of these comments, I'd be happy, as well, if they locked him up between $5.5 million and $6.25 million across something like 5 years or so. It will be important to see how he comes into camp and how he has prepared. So if they waited until after camp, it wouldn't be the worst thing. Still, I think there's little downside risk to getting something done in the waning days of the summer.
I’d agree with that. I like what TT brings to the table, especially on a skill-challenged team, but I have a gut feeling that he’s the kind of player who can be a mirage. I like him as a complimentary player but we shouldn’t make the mistake of paying him like he’s part of the core.
There in lies the rub. If he tops out as a 55 to 65 point guy who is responsible on defense but not "hard to play against", but puts up those numbers, what is that worth to a team? As I said, I think if we can get Aho and TT locked up for $13.5 million to maybe $14 million between the two, I'd be okay with that.
