God, these blogs get worse and worse every day. Auston Matthews isn't even close to McDavid. Matthews is a phenomenal elite player, but he might not even be the best center on his team now. Connor McDavid is the best player of his era already and he's 20. Stop trying to create controversy with this garbage.
- isles10289

I’ll take Crosby over both in a game 7 ....

"Auston Matthews is every bit as valuable and every bit as talented as Connor McDavid."

Bawhahahahahahhahahahahahahah


Bwhahahahahahhahahahahahahahhaha

Whew...

Is this click bait or for real?

Mathews to date does nothing better than McDavid... to date so far anyways. Might change, who knows, but only a blind person could say otherwise right now with a straight face.

To be fair the only thing, the only thing, that has a ring of truth to it in your rediculous blog is how he is getting less ice time. But untill we see him handle big minutes like McDavid we won't know what he can do with those minutes.

BTW, some of those minutes are PK minutes as well. Which Mathews is not as good defensively to get yet.
- Aerchon

Not likely now eh with JT on board

I’ll take Crosby over both in a game 7 ....
- Redmile247

that not even a question... Only leafs fan would disagree with that (true) statement !

My point had nothing to do with UFA vs RFA, has everything to do with IF Kucherov is part of a bigger move the team who gets Kucherov gets him at $9.5m per not $11m per. The team could have been thinking if we trade for Kucherov now we have to negotiate with him as an RFA and we may end up paying $11m, $9.5m is much easier to trade for at this point.
- Kucherovski

Your point clearly used JT @ $11 mln as a comparison for justification that Kucherov @ $9.5 mln was a "reasonable deal". It's not a good comparison, for the reasons I stated.

Matthews is not better than McDavid. Nor should these kids be getting north of 10 on the first contract out of the entry level deal.

Chia pet set a bad precedent with McDavid but he is also putting up crazy numbers.

Matthews has 132 pts compared to Conor’s 208 pts over the last two seasons. That is not close.....

Eklund: Matthews Should Make MORE than McDavid. Kucherov Extended 8yrs
- Eklund

click bait after all the 'rumors' dried up.
kucherov to the rangers.
karlsson to tampa.

matthews is a good player but the numbers don't support matthews making equal or more than mcdavid. making the playoffs is a team achievement not an individual one. maybe you are hoping the leafs overpay matthews so that they somehow screw their team up early in the process of becoming champions so that your team and others can benefit from a colossal (frank) up. matthews is more likely to make less money than tavares on a bridge contract than he is to receive a max deal.

Kucherov's contract once again shows how asinine Chiarelli was to give McDavid that contract so unnecessarily early, and how McDavid has completely hamstrung himself and the team on getting additional talent to play with.

8y / 10m is now the max that Auston will make. Book it.

Your point clearly used JT @ $11 mln as a comparison for justification that Kucherov @ $9.5 mln was a "reasonable deal". It's not a good comparison, for the reasons I stated.
- poopstash

It is a good deal for Tampa. However (my opinion) The EK65 drama fizzles out and he stays in Ottawa and we see Smith leave. Ryan is traded with Ottawa swallowing some of his contract. Ottawa is on the grand stage and anything less than a super duper return on EK65 would be more than this teams credibility can handle.
Side note: Let Ceci walk

Steve always gets great value for his players ..and Matthews might be a more 200ft player? ..but he's not getting more than the 100pt mvp McDavid is getting .10to10.8ish ..maybe more. .but I liked when j.t.said he wanted to demonstrate that the money wasn't the only thing he wanted and left millions on the table .and Bobby Orr said the same thing about . .Matthews..he wants to complete and money was not an issue. .he'll be paid. .in which their currently working on

ya cause that how human being works...especially a kid...

Last guy I honestly remember doing that was Marty Brodeur...

One could argue Selanne and Karya but that was to go on another team, so not the same
- Xizord

Lol did JT not just leave money on the table to sign with the leafs? Was he not offered close to $13M from San Jose?

Hmm.... Matthews didnt take the Leafs to the playoffs alone. Marner had a great 2nd half last year and Andersen has always been amazing. If anything Andersen carried.

This article is really reaching. $10 million? Maybe, just because star players need an extra mill or two to make up for the higher-than-other-city profile they have to live in Toronto. Plus having to live underground between games. I don't think the roster ever surfaces unless it's for a paid event somewhere.

Kucherov's contract once again shows how asinine Chiarelli was to give McDavid that contract so unnecessarily early, and how McDavid has completely hamstrung himself and the team on getting additional talent to play with.

8y / 10m is now the max that Auston will make. Book it.
- mcleafs

He won't take less than JT... you guys way overpaid for him. Yzerman got a great deal on a better player than JT.

Kucherov's contract once again shows how asinine Chiarelli was to give McDavid that contract so unnecessarily early, and how McDavid has completely hamstrung himself and the team on getting additional talent to play with.

8y / 10m is now the max that Auston will make. Book it.
- mcleafs

The timing of this contract for Kucherov is incredible. You sign a guy just entering his prime for 8 years. Contract finishes when he is 33. Not really paying him big money for any years when players start to decline rapidly.

So was today, Tanner's day to write as Eklund?

It is a good deal for Tampa. However (my opinion) The EK65 drama fizzles out and he stays in Ottawa and we see Smith leave. Ryan is traded with Ottawa swallowing some of his contract. Ottawa is on the grand stage and anything less than a super duper return on EK65 would be more than this teams credibility can handle.
Side note: Let Ceci walk
- KANADIAN

It's a great deal for Tampa. Not debating that at all.

The timing of this contract for Kucherov is incredible. You sign a guy just entering his prime for 8 years. Contract finishes when he is 33. Not really paying him big money for any years when players start to decline rapidly.
- poopstash

Yzerman is a shrewd GM... very impressed.

What's cheaper than a plug then?
- mgriffen

You can’t “plug” 2 lines of D and win. As good as that top line is, you still have 30 mins or more against an opposing team. You also can’t “plug” a 3rd line center. If Stamkos or Hedman or Kucherov get hurt and you’ve got a team full of plugs against the cap, it all falls apart. Your top 4 D all have to be able to play against top lines in the playoffs. Your 3rd line often gets very important goals on the board. That’s why this is a bad look. Your top 6 and top 2 can’t win a game by themselves

Matthews was great in the playoffs...no wait...

Isles fan here and i hate both teams but
Mathews has a better gm,coach, and players around him

Mcdavid and the oilers cant seem to get out of there own way....had they drafted barzal and kept ebs or hall there much better than the leafs this past season

Your point clearly used JT @ $11 mln as a comparison for justification that Kucherov @ $9.5 mln was a "reasonable deal". It's not a good comparison, for the reasons I stated.
- poopstash

Do you seriously not follow? If Tampa were to have traded Kucherov to NYR to get Karlsson lets say last week. Do you think Kucherov would have got $9.5m from NYR or $11m from NYR? UFA/RFA who cares, what would Kucherov have gotten when negotiating his next deal with someone else? I think probably closer to that $11m which was my point. Tampa got a reasonable deal AND/OR the team who would trade for Kucherov got a reasonable deal.

Kucherov's contract once again shows how asinine Chiarelli was to give McDavid that contract so unnecessarily early, and how McDavid has completely hamstrung himself and the team on getting additional talent to play with.

8y / 10m is now the max that Auston will make. Book it.
- mcleafs

But McDavid did leave 700 thousand on the table. to sign other players! but I believe that Matthews might get slightly more than Jacky E.

Anyone who thinks Matthews is in the same league as mcdavid is an idiot. Look at the teams they are on. Without Matthews last year the leafs actually did better. Without mcdavid the oilers are an ahl team.

Matthews is not better than McDavid. Nor should these kids be getting north of 10 on the first contract out of the entry level deal.

Chia pet set a bad precedent with McDavid but he is also putting up crazy numbers.

Matthews has 132 pts compared to Conor’s 208 pts over the last two seasons. That is not close.....
- Mahewman

Agree

Lol did JT not just leave money on the table to sign with the leafs? Was he not offered close to $13M from San Jose?
- matthewsscores

No idiot