News Article: Auston Matthews - August 1st., Contract Crickets

[ToneDog]

Well said.

Re : "We're the only market where the media and fans openly endorse giving their players blank checks (and paying them anything they want) just because we like them."

Bob McCown used to say that. He said Toronto fans fall in love with Leaf players and they can do no wrong.

Speaking of Bobcat. Hope he gets back on his feet soon.

 

[glue]

If AM rumours of 14.5 mil for 5 years and 16 mil for 8 years are remotely true, Treveling better be working out trades as we speak. Culture reset. I would take Nylander at 9ish and trade Matthews if he’s asking for those monster numbers

 

[Gabriel426]

This leaving money on the table is subjective. He could sign for 14 and his defenders will say he could have got 14.7…….bla bla bla

Exactly. Some here believe that AM signing for 13mil and 5 yrs is doing Leafs the favor.

 

[MapleLeafs77]

If AM rumours of 14.5 mil for 5 years and 16 mil for 8 years are remotely true, Treveling better be working out trades as we speak. Culture reset. I would take Nylander at 9ish and trade Matthews if he’s asking for those monster numbers

Nylander is asking for 10-11. Trade him as well. Marner will ask for 13-15 as well. Trade him.

Im actually serious. If these players want to ask for 2 million over what they are worth then trade them

 

[Gabriel426]

If AM rumours of 14.5 mil for 5 years and 16 mil for 8 years are remotely true, Treveling better be working out trades as we speak. Culture reset. I would take Nylander at 9ish and trade Matthews if he’s asking for those monster numbers

If those are the numbers for AM. Trade him or just sit him for a year and prepare hockey without AM.

It is completely ridiculous that AM or his camp think he is worth that amount. What makes it worst is some fans think he deserves that.

 

[authentic]

If AM rumours of 14.5 mil for 5 years and 16 mil for 8 years are remotely true, Treveling better be working out trades as we speak. Culture reset. I would take Nylander at 9ish and trade Matthews if he’s asking for those monster numbers

Rather pay Matthews 14.5 than pay Nylander 10 or 11 like he's asking.

 

[Trapper]

Rather pay Matthews 14.5 than pay Nylander 10 or 11 like he's asking.

Dubois was traded for 3 players.

If we sign Matthews at 13/14:
I’d move Marner and Nylander for 5/6 players, added to Knies and Rielly (that’s like 7/8 players to have his back) and remake the team to better battle the playoffs and bring the cap in line.

Matthews should be the only double digit guy.

 

[Racer88]

Today is the deadline for either trading Matthews, losing any leverage that we might have had with him therefore giving him whatever he desires or losing him for nothing after next year…………thank you Dubas

 

[rojac]

Having been a leaf fan for over 30 years, my ptsd says he's just going to walk for free

Good grief. You do not have PTSD because of a hockey team you cheer for not winning. And frankly, it seems like an insult to real PTSD sufferers to claim that you do.

 

[Golden_Jet]

what exactly does Toronto offer Matthews that any other city doesn't?

First thing comes to mind is 95% signing bonus, which makes for a good tax break for Matthew’s, being its signing bonus money.

 

[ToneDog]

Today is the deadline for either trading Matthews, losing any leverage that we might have had with him therefore giving him whatever he desires or losing him for nothing after next year…………thank you Dubas

6 hours to go to NMC kicking in.

 

[Sypher04]

If AM rumours of 14.5 mil for 5 years and 16 mil for 8 years are remotely true, Treveling better be working out trades as we speak. Culture reset. I would take Nylander at 9ish and trade Matthews if he’s asking for those monster numbers

There is no 8 years, 16 mil rumour. It’s just Jonas Siegel being a useless, speculative moron

 

[cyris]

Today is the deadline for either trading Matthews, losing any leverage that we might have had with him therefore giving him whatever he desires or losing him for nothing after next year…………thank you Dubas

The deadline doesn’t matter for Matthews calm down.
If you are gonna trade him you do it some place he will sign an extension. To do that it has to be somewhere he wants to go and as such the NMC doesn’t really matter does it?

First thing comes to mind is 95% signing bonus, which makes for a good tax break for Matthew’s, being its signing bonus money.

More opportunity for endorsements than other markets too.

 

[Leafblooded]

Good grief. You do not have PTSD because of a hockey team you cheer for not winning. And frankly, it seems like an insult to real PTSD sufferers to claim that you do.

Good grief. It's just an expression. My best childhood friend served a year in Afghanistan, my grandpa and some of his family survived the siege of Leningrad in WW2 and my dad went to jail multiple times for beating my mom. You don't need to explain what ptsd is. It's 2023 not f***ing 1911

 

[rojac]

If AM rumours of 14.5 mil for 5 years and 16 mil for 8 years are remotely true, Treveling better be working out trades as we speak. Culture reset. I would take Nylander at 9ish and trade Matthews if he’s asking for those monster numbers

Do you have a source for that rumour? Because that makes no sense.

 

[Trapper]

Good grief. You do not have PTSD because of a hockey team you cheer for not winning. And frankly, it seems like an insult to real PTSD sufferers to claim that you do.

Do you mean Pre Treliving Signing Disorder?

 

[egd27]

If you were offered 20-30% more salary per year to work for a rival company, doing the exact same job with the same perks and same responsibilities, why do you believe you would stay put?

Does my pushing for that 20-30% more mean that my colleagues and, in many cases, friends, will have to take less money in your hypothetical?

Does it mean that there is less chance at either my new or existing company being being successful in their market because I demand more money for myself?

 

[ORRFForever]

Speaking of Bobcat. Hope he gets back on his feet soon.

View attachment 724344

God bless, Bobcat.

 

[MAB1]

Keep him no matter the cost. Some of you overdramatic Leaf fans wanting to trade a prime MVP level player/top 3-5 player are pathetic. Congrats you didn't pay him $14 million...instead you spent that amount on 2 JVR/Hayes types or a Brodie/Muzzin level d-man + top 6 forward + Kampf...which one would you prefer?

 

[13pacheco31]

Rather pay Matthews 14.5 than pay Nylander 10 or 11 like he's asking.

First everyone was saying he's demanding 16 mil, then 14.5 mil on a mid term contract, than everyone starts walking that back saying he's willing to take a cheaper contract to help build a team around him, now it's back to 14+ mil. At what point do you not just realize these reporters have no clue and are pulling shit out of their ass?

 

[Dekes For Days]

Pasta has been elite for years and just signed. Tkachuk signed right after scoring 40 goals and 100+ points. Hughes was the 1st overall pick and showed the hockey world how elite he is and would be. Stutzle was also a high pick and is the best, young player on a rising team. All of these players could have demanded and/or held out for more like Nylander and Marner did. And, let's not forget our overpaid buddy JT, who supposedly gave the Leafs a "hometown discount" for 11 when Nikita Kucherov wins the Hart and scores 126 points the following year and commits to the Lightning for 9.5 per!!

Pastrnak had a very good year this year, but that partial season sample before he signed mid-season followed two disappointing years before it, where he was much worse than Matthews. Similarly, Tkachuk had one good season (that was still worse than Matthews) prior to signing, but that was following disappointing seasons where he paced for 63 and 72 points and was a fraction of the player Matthews was. That matters.

Stutzle had a career high pace of 60 points, and Hughes had a career high pace of 45 points when they signed, and they both still got bigger contracts than Nylander. They were not on the same planet as a Matthews or Marner, so I don't know why you think they could just demand the same and get it. That's not how it works. Also Kucherov signed before his 128 point season, FYI. While his contract is quite good, that season is irrelevant.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

The Athletic has been banging the "make as much as you can drum" for quite a while.

Did you notice that the screeching for max dollars seemed to increase exponentially AFTER their buddy Kyle left the nest? I think they are trying to stir up a hornets nest just like Dreger did for Marner.

If Matthews signs for 14.5 over 5 years and Willy over 10 that might just be the point I fully check out lol

I think part of me will actually enjoy them flopping out in the playoffs in a sadistic kind of way if they do that. I actually think Willy has a case for his increase in pay...AM...not so much. Just trade everyone and wait for McDavid to be a UFA and come home will be the mantra.

 

[PromisedLand]

Kinda wish an adult had stepped into the room in negotiations and just said, “the cap hasn’t risen to whatever yet so this is the best you’re going to get. Tough shit you didn’t sign longer last time and the deal doesn’t expire at a later time.”

Can’t have everything every time and then future proof it so you’re still overpaid in a new economic landscape, should a new economic landscape actually appear.

Just get it done.

Also want to point out to insiders like Jonas Siegel that the big ask, big number speculation is a quite destructive to fan engagement when they have nothing else to write about.

He hasn't traded Matthews or Marner (or Nylander) basically means either Treliving is going to bendover harder than dubas did or he is going to let them walk as UFAs

 

[TheDoldrums]

Keep him no matter the cost. Some of you overdramatic Leaf fans wanting to trade a prime MVP level player/top 3-5 player are pathetic. Congrats you didn't pay him $14 million...instead you spent that amount on 2 JVR/Hayes types or a Brodie/Muzzin level d-man + top 6 forward + Kampf...which one would you prefer?

it is almost impossible to overpay a superstar in terms of the value they provide. Matthews will look overpaid because a lot of other stars undersell themselves and it would be great if he did too but that doesn't seem to be the situation.

it doesn't change the fact that Auston Matthews signing for $14 million would improve the team FAR more than taking that $14 million in cap space to the open market.

David Kampf is already more overpaid than Matthews could possibly be. Paying him $1 million too much is a far greater overpay by percentage. He's like ~60% overpaid.

 

[MAB1]

it is almost impossible to overpay a superstar in terms of the value they provide. Matthews will look overpaid because a lot of other stars undersell themselves and it would be great if he did too but that doesn't seem to be the situation.

it doesn't change the fact that Auston Matthews signing for $14 million would improve the team FAR more than taking that $14 million in cap space to the open market.

David Kampf is already more overpaid than Matthews could possibly be. Paying him $1 million too much is a far greater overpay by percentage. He's like ~60% overpaid.

That's exactly it. Paying your stars even "market value" for them isn't at all bad, it prevents you from handing out the bad contracts seen by Western Canadian teams for example. Or even recently Kampf (I would've preferred signing that 6'9 Zahorna dude to a cheap 4C deal). ROR is basically gone now which is a shame because he's far better than Tavares and should be the 2C if the Leafs want to win the cup. It's literally set up perfectly.

XXX-Matthews-Marner (No explanation needed)
Knies-ROR-Nylander (Line looked great in the playoffs)
XXX-Tavares-XXX (Give Tavares whoever and let him feast on 3rd pairing d-men.

With those 3 lines you don't even need to play your 4th line a lot...much less pay some vanilla 4C in Kampf that is overrated.