Laine probably would've hated Marleau too. What kind of asshat invites young players over to their house to spend time with their family?
- Thecakeisalie

Sends the wrong message if you ask me.

WHO CARES... why do people make such a big deal over a letter on a jersey... he will be named captain next year following his massive contract.. thee end.

WHO CARES... why do people make such a big deal over a letter on a jersey... he will be named captain next year following his massive contract.. thee end.
- LeafsFan23

Yup... the C will essentially be part of the signing bonus

I think that's the exact reason why Matthews didn't get it.
- walshyleafsfan

Why is that?

WHO CARES... why do people make such a big deal over a letter on a jersey... he will be named captain next year following his massive contract.. thee end.
- LeafsFan23

The players wearing those letters would probably disagree with you there.

Why is that?
- Aussiepenguin

Why the rush to put even more pressure on young players than they already have? Let them play the game and work on being the best player they can be, then when they've gotten some experience and have watched and learned from respected vets, they can take on such a role.

In Toronto, this group seems to like the idea of insulating and protecting their young players from the media when possible. Which is probably a good thing considering how crazy the media and even some fans are. A captain takes a lot of the blame for things like a poor team performance even when it wasn't really them at fault and is generally expected to be available to the media on a regular basis. Matthews already gets enough attention as is. Let him focus on his personal growth as a player.

Lastly, it seems to me, making a young superstar a captain is often more about feeding their ego than making the best decision for the team. If Matthews was that upset about not getting his ego stroked by being named captain, he wouldn't be good captain material anyways.

I think Matthews will make a great captain in a few years (and will get his shot in time), and I also bet he is taking this situation with his usual calm and mature attitude.

The players wearing those letters would probably disagree with you there.
- Aussiepenguin

Says who? You?I agree with him.

Im not so sure why you and the others are so concerned all the time.Especially you and all your little Leaf comments everyday.

Hope not and he leaves to play in the US.

Why is that?
- Aussiepenguin

The Leafs have been very fortunate to have had the Oilers "rebuild" happen a few years before them

It's made the Leafs management job very easy. Look at what the Oilers have done. Do the opposite.

No cake, just a psychotic computer/robot.

I think the cake had all been eaten years before the protagonist wakes up.
- Thecakeisalie

I could not remember! I did see a video of the end just recently. Man the voice is creepy. very cool game though

What I find humorous about this whole discussion is that I am not even convinced Matthews wants a letter.

I mean he is already pretty passive/aggressive with the Toronto media. At some point it may mean more dollars but when you get into the level he is going to get to, I don;t think it makes much difference.

What I find humorous about this whole discussion is that I am not even convinced Matthews wants a letter.

I mean he is already pretty passive/aggressive with the Toronto media. At some point it may mean more dollars but when you get into the level he is going to get to, I don;t think it makes much difference.
- Aetherial

Why you would want a letter in Toronto is beyond me. You have to answer questions that esteemed media members like Berger, Cox, Simmons and Eklund have.

You have to answer questions about scenarios you had no knowledge existed.

I mean could you imagine having to answer EKs question from a fortnight ago asking "Are both Ontario teams in turmoil?".

How do you answer that with a straight face?

Says who? You?I agree with him.

Im not so sure why you and the others are so concerned all the time.Especially you and all your little Leaf comments everyday.
- nbboy

The comment was a general comment about the whole NHL. It's not all about the Leafs situation. I realise you think & believe every comment here is all about the Leafs, it's not.

I believe in giving responsibility to players that can handle it, étant the right & is good for the team. If you don't agree with that it's ok. I believe most if not all the players that wear letters for THEIR RESPECTIVE TEAMS, are proud to wear it & it does matter.

If I was Matthews, I'm not going to lie, I would be pissed. He's supposed to be the #1 guy on this team, instead Johnny T seems to be getting all the attention and instantly given an A.

Kind of a slap in the face.

Why the rush to put even more pressure on young players than they already have? Let them play the game and work on being the best player they can be, then when they've gotten some experience and have watched and learned from respected vets, they can take on such a role.

In Toronto, this group seems to like the idea of insulating and protecting their young players from the media when possible. Which is probably a good thing considering how crazy the media and even some fans are. A captain takes a lot of the blame for things like a poor team performance even when it wasn't really them at fault and is generally expected to be available to the media on a regular basis. Matthews already gets enough attention as is. Let him focus on his personal growth as a player.

Lastly, it seems to me, making a young superstar a captain is often more about feeding their ego than making the best decision for the team. If Matthews was that upset about not getting his ego stroked by being named captain, he wouldn't be good captain material anyways.

I think Matthews will make a great captain in a few years (and will get his shot in time), and I also bet he is taking this situation with his usual calm and mature attitude.
- Thecakeisalie

I'm at the beach, so I'll just be quick. In saying that do you agree to give him 11m straight away, or let him wait to develop a little & grow into that amount - earn it a little if you will?

The comment was a general comment about the whole NHL. It's not all about the Leafs situation. I realise you think & believe every comment here is all about the Leafs, it's not.

I believe in giving responsibility to players that can handle it, étant the right & is good for the team. If you don't agree with that it's ok. I believe most if not all the players that wear letters for THEIR RESPECTIVE TEAMS, are proud to wear it & it does matter.
- Aussiepenguin

Leafs are different though. Like has anyone asked Burns or Pavelski if they're pissed the Sharks traded for Karlsson? Like it's Burns defense unit and now they traded for Karlsson. What does that say to Burns?

Exactly.

This is the kind of poop that all of the websites and 75% of the media make up and ask Matthews. Like what the (frank)? You know?

That's why I would never ever name him the captain myself.

Edit. I just saw the post 2 up.

Why you would want a letter in Toronto is beyond me. You have to answer questions that esteemed media members like Berger, Cox, Simmons and Eklund have.

You have to answer questions about scenarios you had no knowledge existed.

I mean could you imagine having to answer EKs question from a fortnight ago asking "Are both Ontario teams in turmoil?".

How do you answer that with a straight face?
- walshyleafsfan

Very true. It's just a giant headache. And a younger player that is less experienced with this kind of crap could end up putting their foot in their mouth with the media on a frequent basis if they aren't very cautious.

Matthews does seem very careful with his words in interviews, but still, it's just gotta be a pain in the ass.

Better to leave it to more experienced, more mature guys like Marleau or Tavares, who are also big name guys, so they can draw a lot of the attention, allowing the younger guys like Matthews, Marner, and Willy to relax a bit and focus on self improvement without so much needless stress.

I'm at the beach, so I'll just be quick. In saying that do you agree to give him 11m straight away, or let him wait to develop a little & grow into that amount - earn it a little if you will?
- Aussiepenguin

Matthews being or not being made captain has nothing to do with his next contract.

Leafs are different though. Like has anyone asked Burns or Pavelski if they're pissed the Sharks traded for Karlsson? Like it's Burns defense unit and now they traded for Karlsson. What does that say to Burns?

Exactly.

This is the kind of poop that all of the websites and 75% of the media make up and ask Matthews. Like what the (frank)? You know?

That's why I would never ever name him the captain myself.

Edit. I just saw the post 2 up.
- walshyleafsfan

I have no idea what that has to do with my comment about the value of having a letter.

You're right Walshy. Burns must be furious that his team aquired Karlsson!
He's supposed to be THE GUY!

And what happens when Karlsson wants to be captain, or even just assistant? I wonder if we'll see a massive divide in the locker room over this!

OH THE HUMANITY! What a bunch of overblown dog poop.

Matthews being or not being made captain has nothing to do with his next contract.
- Thecakeisalie

Hey guys I'm at the beach trying to do this on an iPhone in the sun. But I'm not saying he should be captain??? Where do you get that from? I'm saying giving him a letter as a 'registered' leader of the team. And there is no captain so?????? I'm replying to the comment about letting him wait not put pressure on him & let him develop. Contracts have no impact on how a player feels? Ok but only because you said so.

I have no idea what that has to do with my comment about the value of having a letter.
- Aussiepenguin

Lots of great players never wear a letter. Lots of them play for a long time before getting one. Most of the time, no one even mentions it, but since this is the Leafs, it's news. It's ridiculous.

And in other news, no Leafs fan ever has said or done anything remotely close to being construed as condescending to other teams' fans.

To debunk Ek's hypothesis (and as a show of solidarity with those in Leafs nation) I once referred to Matthews using the "C" word, so there's that.
- LandlordTom

believe it or not - my comment regarding "Sabre's fan" ... was in regard to appreciating or understanding the level or s__t "reporting" that goes on around the maple leafs - the overwhelming majority of drivel that has been issued by the guys like Cox, Simmons, Berger etc has been hot garbage for years and years and years.

that was the intended reference - take it or leave it - not intended to be "condescending" at all

Hey guys I'm at the beach trying to do this on an iPhone in the sun. But I'm not saying he should be captain??? Where do you get that from? I'm saying giving him a letter as a 'registered' leader of the team. And there is no captain so?????? I'm replying to the comment about letting him wait not put pressure on him & let him develop. Contracts have no impact on how a player feels? Ok but only because you said so.
- Aussiepenguin

I never mentioned his contract. You did. I bet he'll get similar numbers to Tavares fwiw.

I bet he will get a letter eventually, but why the rush? Why does he NEED one now? Just to keep up with McDavid in some bizarre competition?

Do you honestly think Matthews doesn't respect players like Marleau, Tavares, or even Reilly? He probably looked up to some of them before he made the NHL.

Why would he really be that upset just because they got letters and he didn't?
Do you really think his ego is that big that he's gonna be insulted that he got overlooked in favor of these other great options? I mean, it's not like they picked some lesser talent player with a similar amount of experience like Connor Brown, or Zack Hyman...

He wasn't snubbed or something, there are just a lot of good options and no need to rush to give him such a position. The idea that he's all bent out of shape about this is just the rambling fantasies dreamt up by EK.

Lots of great players never wear a letter. Lots of them play for a long time before getting one. Most of the time, no one even mentions it, but since this is the Leafs, it's news. It's ridiculous.
- Thecakeisalie

A lot of players aren't leaders even though playing for years. It's news because Matthews whether you like it or not does in fact appear to be a leader. There is no age restrictions on leaders & maturity. Experience yes, but leadership no.