4.5M x 5 years I could live with. I think he'd be a fine 3C option, but stripped of his captaincy.

And his footspeed has been slow his entire career, so I don't really see him slowing down that much more.
- gravyface

Oh it has never been his strenght but there's a limit to how slow he can afford to go, especially if he stays at centre.

I think moving forward JT should be moved to the wing. Doesn't matter for who he plays.

Marner is a supporting player.

Matthews is the main guy.

Without Marner they’re not a playoff team.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

He can't be a "supporting player" if the team needs him to make the playoffs.

Make up your mind.

Marner is a supporting player.

Matthews is the main guy.

Without Marner they’re not a playoff team.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

If marner is a supporting player, then you do not pay your supporting players 12m per.
Its thats simple.
Yes i know 11.5m is too much for willie, but the ship already sailed.

You can say it all you want, but it doesn’t make it true.

At some point you’ll eventually realize you’re wrong.

And you and Santo Phelps is a marriage I never saw coming.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Anger, anger, anger

That is reasonable

He will have to take less than reasonable if he wants to remain a leaf and keep his family and kids here
- Santo_44

That's fair. Hell I think that's actually the best position the Leafs could take.

If marner is a supporting player, then you do pay your supporting players 12m per.
Its thats simple.
Yes i know 11.5m is too for willie, but the ship already sailed.
- Fakepartofme

It's an idiotic take.

No thank you. His skating, which is not great now, is going to get worse and could fall right off a cliff.
- fifty__missions

(frank) him.

Glue factory.

Santo will die (drown?) on this hill.

It's an idiotic take.
- fifty__missions

Slow down.
I forgot to add a "not".
You do NOT pay a supporting player 12m.

He can't be a "supporting player" if the team needs him to make the playoffs.

Make up your mind.
- Nasty_Duck

On a well built team, he’s a supporting player.

He’s the Jari Kurri..

They absolutely will be struggling to make the playoffs and probably won’t if he’s gone.

Imagine the discussions you’ll be having when that happens?

Ffs
The team didnt veer off anything....the cap did.
Thats it. Thats all. End of story.
Covid came and froze the cap.
Had it not, the cap would have gone up by 3-4 million per year and the leafs would have been fine.
- Fakepartofme

No they wouldn't have been because Tavares still never provided the value his contract took up.

You really don't get it. The moment Tavares took his contract, he drove up the price of Marner, Nylander and Matthews. That cost the Leafs even more cap space. If they had never signed Tavares, they'd have at least an extra 15 AAV in cap space.

His first season, he scored like he was supposed to and hasn't done it since.

Flat cap or no flat cap, Tavares' signing was a disaster. Leafs fans just didn't realize it because they'd deluded themselves into believing they'd have a Cup in the first 3 or 4 years and the back end wouldn't matter.

Slow down.
I forgot to add a "not".
You do NOT pay a supporting player 12m.
- Fakepartofme

Is Willy a supporting player, or the main guy?

On a well built team, he’s a supporting player.

He’s the Jari Kurri..

They absolutely will be struggling to make the playoffs and probably won’t if he’s gone.

Imagine the discussions you’ll be having when that happens?
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Id be fine. High draft pick.


Oh nevermind, we dont have any picks in the first 4 rounds next year.
Nuts

On a well built team, he’s a supporting player.

He’s the Jari Kurri..

They absolutely will be struggling to make the playoffs and probably won’t if he’s gone.

Imagine the discussions you’ll be having when that happens?
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Bruins lost Bergeron and Krecji in the same year and made the playoffs.

Teams can adjust.

Mitch is an immature man child, an unaccountable crybaby, an overpaid underperforming 100 point winger who’s never hit 100 points who disappears when it matters most.

He cries about coaches, referees, fans who don’t like his instagram posts or glove throwing or the fact that he’s overpaid and he never looks in the mirror.

And his wife dresses him stupidly.

Glad to see Shanahan is sticking around, why change a winning formula. Long live the Shanaplan!
- Symba007

Says the guy who backed Bergy for years.

That makes absolutely no sense because Tavares' contract expires at the exact same time. Tavares should be out, not Marner. The Tavares expiration and Marner contract would leave the Leafs with at least 9-10 AAV available which is more than enough to either sign a D or more top-six players to replace and add to what Tavares brought.

And good luck to Matthews score 60-70 goals without his set-up man. You want to be paying Matthews 13 AAV to down to scoring 40? Marner is not accepting a trade and if he walks for free as a UFA the Leafs are complete morons.

Either get Tavares to waive his NMC now or wait him out and let him walk next year. Keep your best players, sign better UFAs and don't waste it all on another Tavares signing.
- Rare_Jewel

I think it's ridiculous that you think any top end free agent would sign here if you treated JT the way you want to. He isn't leaving town this year. Likely not the year after unless someone offers him 10 million and he wants to take it. (He didn't take the 13 million in SJ)

But I shouldn't expect anything less than the guy who wants Q back in the league no matter what. The league wants nothing to do with him. It's been enough time if they did, they'd allow it.

That's fair. Hell I think that's actually the best position the Leafs could take.
- Scabeh

I would be surprised if he didn't take a big discount.

I can't see him signing somewhere else for the extra 2M a year.

He has made a lot of money playing hockey and say what you want about him but he gives everything he has to this organization. There is absolutely a spot for him in management/coaching/scouting when his career is over IF he stays.

Ffs they had Clifford scouting games this season while also playing player This org can give you a lot if you are a heart and soul Leaf.

Is Willy a supporting player, or the main guy?
- Arctic_AARDVARK

In your example, a supporting player.
But hes already extended, for too much as i already mentioned. At least he scores in the playoffs
But no need to overpay another winger.....who doesnt score in the playoffs

Now for the sake of discussion.

Do you actually want Tavares on a new contract past this year?

Even if he takes a significan paycut (let's say he agrees to 7M per season), he's a player that's obviously slowing down and isn't going to help you much at 5 on 5, could even be switched to a winger to compensate for his lack of speed.

Is that really how you want to spend that money? Wouldn't the leafs be better off targeting another player instead?

I'm not saying he should leave, he's still a good player. But I think the Leafs definetely need to consider their options with the Snake.
- Scabeh

No JT hate here, but, no way would I take him at $7mil past next year. I don’t take him at $5mil, past next year. He’s a good 3rd line centre and shouldn’t be used as 2nd line past this coming year. So, what’s a 3rd line centre worth!??

They couldn't afford "the right type of players", BECAUSE of what the core made.
- oldstyle

We now know this to be true and it needs to be remedied. I am sure that Dubas and probably Shanny thought this core would step up and deliver but they have proven they just can't do so the way they are constructed.

I mean if the Leafs core scored at the pace or near the pace they have been able to in regular seasons we probably aren't talking about the need to move a piece of the core at all but here we are.....

Id be fine. High draft pick.


Oh nevermind, we dont have any picks in the first 4 rounds next year.
Nuts
- Fakepartofme

I could imagine somehow you’s will still blame Mitch.

“Mitches dad needs to leave the city he’s a distraction blah blah”

Idk but it’ll be something silly like that.

Bruins lost Bergeron and Krecji in the same year and made the playoffs.

Teams can adjust.
- Nasty_Duck

I completely agree

But


The leafs arent the bruins and simply do not have the same culture

Id be fine. High draft pick.


Oh nevermind, we dont have any picks in the first 4 rounds next year.
Nuts
- Fakepartofme

Dont worry man. They will. When the leafs bottom out this year into a top end pick like Makar while having Matthews on the team, they will trade off pieces to fill in for those picks. Gotta copy the champion type of teams right?

They either bottom out while having top end talent for MORE top end talent or trade away picks for players like Vegas.

I think it's ridiculous that you think any top end free agent would sign here if you treated JT the way you want to. He isn't leaving town this year. Likely not the year after unless someone offers him 10 million and he wants to take it. (He didn't take the 13 million in SJ)

But I shouldn't expect anything less than the guy who wants Q back in the league no matter what. The league wants nothing to do with him. It's been enough time if they did, they'd allow it.
- Aaron_85

I think it's ridiculous to worry about signing top end free agents when the last one you signed A) cost too much cap space B) didn't provide value and C) didn't help you win jack poop.

I will gladly take 3 mid range UFAs than another Tavares for the same price. Zach Hyman says hello.

Are the Leafs trying to trade Tavares in year 2 of his deal? No. It's year 7. Absolutely no player is going to give a poop about the Leafs trading Tavares in his final season after overpaying him, making him the captain and giving him 6 years of playoff attempts.

Tavares out, Quenneville in. Undisputable best moves for the team.

Now for the sake of discussion.

Do you actually want Tavares on a new contract past this year?

Even if he takes a significan paycut (let's say he agrees to 7M per season), he's a player that's obviously slowing down and isn't going to help you much at 5 on 5, could even be switched to a winger to compensate for his lack of speed.

Is that really how you want to spend that money? Wouldn't the leafs be better off targeting another player instead?

I'm not saying he should leave, he's still a good player. But I think the Leafs definetely need to consider their options with the Snake.
- Scabeh

$7M? ..is a quick no.

RoR, younger than JT, just signed for about 4.5M.

With JT, assuming he won't waive (why would he), you measure him next summer after you see what he does this year. Maybe he's a $3M 3C ...or a $4M middle 6 winger/scorer ...or maybe he's just not a fit.