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

[authentic]

This roster didn’t amount to anything post season with depth like Kerfoot making 3.5 million.

And some want to make it 1-3 million worse..

That extra money is going to cut into our “players that play more than 13 minutes a night budget.

I’d go on but you get it.

Please show me where depth quality is correlated with money spent on that depth. Fixing our depth is more than just trading Matthews for cap space and overpaying grinders that rode a hot shooting % for a series or two.

Everyone praises Vegas’ depth, let’s see how much they actually spent on it:

Forward expenses outside the top 6:
Roy 3
Stephenson 2.75
Howden 1.5
Carrier 1.4
Kolesar 1.4
Amadio 0.76

So just under 11 mil for their bottom 6

How is this different (from a cap perspective) from:

Kerfoot 3.5
Jarnkrok 2.1
Kampf 1.6
Acciari 1.25
Lafferty 1.15
ZAR/Engvall/Simmonds/McMann/Holmberg at a mil or less

We spent more than them, we actually have more cap space for forward depth available than they do if we redistribute it to better players than we have in the past.

Let’s see the defense, outside of their top 2 they spend:
1 of Martinez/Theodore at 5.2
McNabb at 2.85
Whitecloud at 2.75
Hague at 2.3
Hutton at 0.85

Vs

Holl at 2
Liljegren at 1.4
McCabe at 2
Whichever of Schenn/Gio at under a mil

The glaring difference is us missing a Martinez tier 5+ mil D which we had but got broken down. Muzzin’s 5.6 mil LTIR wasn’t able to be used until he got injured in October, otherwise we would have almost the same spend on our D depth with just over a mil in difference.

It’s incredibly obvious the issue with our depth isn’t the amount of money we’re spending on it, we spend more on it than most cup winners and contenders, even the ones that get praised for the quality of their depth.

Trade Matthews if you don’t think he has what it takes to win in general, but trade him for premium star pieces or futures, not so you can give 5x5 to the next Coleman/Goodrow.

Oh no, there goes their whole argument

 

[Gaberd2608]

Thanks, you nailed it.

The problem is getting 1 goal against the Panthers from Tavares, Matthews and marner combined.

I think the issue is they come across as me first when it comes to the contracts and then dont produce so to combination is super offputting.

I dont think people want to move one of them to sign more middle 6 forwards,.its about them taking market value and then producing, not looking to set salary records every 3 years.

I dont with them ill will but all it takes is one of them to blow out a knee or something and that the end of the party. At some point there needs to be a number that is enough.

12.5 x 8 years is $100 million. My god. 13.5 is $108 million. $15.5 x 8 years is $124 million. Not counting the money from their current deals and endorsements, what can they not buy with $108 million that they can with $124 million. It gets to a point where it is so much money it doesnt even matter. In 8 years they will get another contract for more. Matthews can easily sign a 5 or 6 year deal at $13 million and come across smelling like roses. Instead he will probabaly end up at $13.5 x 3 years and wonder why the fans think he is a douche.

 

[ULF_55]

Oh no, there goes their whole argument

Yep, worked out perfectly didn't it.

Set the table ...

 

[ULF_55]

Ok so it’s paying the wrong stars 11 mil rather than the fact that we’re paying people 11 mil and the amount of cap available for depth has nothing to do with anything. The solution is trading our stars for ones that perform in the playoffs and trading Matthews so we can pay our depth more is insanity.

If you must keep the best players, who continuously fall on their faces, at least upgrade the coaching.

Matthews+marner+Keefe <> Stanley Cup

 

[Martin Skoula]

If you must keep the best players, who continuously fall on their faces, at least upgrade the coaching.

Matthews+marner+Keefe <> Stanley Cup

I’m more than fine if Tre traded core pieces for other core pieces before their NMCs kicked in and I wanted him to replace Keefe, neither of those are a problem.

Letting stars walk over a few years of term or few 100k of AAV, or trading them for a soft deal so we can spend 11 million “improving our depth” are the two absolute lose conditions we have ahead of us. If Tre moves Nylander and signs another Coleman/Kadri longterm the window is then truly closed.

 

[ULF_55]

I’m more than fine if Tre traded core pieces for other core pieces before their NMCs kicked in and I wanted him to replace Keefe, neither of those are a problem.

Letting stars walk over a few years of term or few 100k of AAV, or trading them for a soft deal so we can spend 11 million “improving our depth” are the two absolute lose conditions we have ahead of us. If Tre moves Nylander and signs another Coleman/Kadri longterm the window is then truly closed.

Tkachuk and Batherson $13.2mm (for the moment pretend Tkachuk is a center)
for
Matthews and Jarnkrok $15mm

Thoughts?

if you wish:

Tkachuk and Batherson $13.2mm
for
marner and Jarnkrok $15mm

Thoughts?

 

[The Apologist]

Tkachuk and Batherson $13.2mm (for the moment pretend Tkachuk is a center)
for
Matthews and Jarnkrok $15mm

Thoughts?

if you wish:

Tkachuk and Batherson $13.2mm
for
marner and Jarnkrok $15mm

Thoughts?

I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

 

[ULF_55]

I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Were you re-watching Leafs versus Panthers?

Kind of makes everyone except the Double Digit$ throw up.

 

[The Apologist]

Were you re-watching Leafs versus Panthers?

Kind of makes everyone except the Double Digit$ throw up.

No, I was watching the Sens games, any one you want.

I guess to his benefit, we have no idea yet how Brady would look in the playoffs.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Of course he says he wants to stay. That's what players say if they're gunning for the big contract. Why burn any bridges?

Will probably sign the big AAV, cap space will be an issue, and our soft perimeter players will choke in the playoffs once again. Same old, same old.

Hey, we won a round. How could anyone complain?

 

[HoweHullOrr]

They've really put themselves into a pickle here.

Dubas made sure to give the fans a pig in a poke on his way out the door. Matthews and Marner have full NMC's. They hold all the leverage.

The team can't risk the possibility of either of those two making it to free agency.

The only one that can be traded now is Nylander. Which I expect he will be. Hopefully for a proper 1RHD.

In two years Tavares finally comes off the books.

Remember the good old days when Tavares was signed for "free". Hell, JT was offered more by other teams - what could go wrong? Old times, good times.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Remember the good old days when Tavares was signed for "free". Hell, JT was offered more by other teams - what could go wrong? Old times, good times.

Thanks for the response.

You are so right.

I never understood the whole free agents don't cost anything to sign, so they are "free" reasoning myself. They still come at the expense of lost opportunity. Boy wouldn't that $11M have come in handy for something other than Captain Boat Anchor the last five years?

Fun time indeed.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Thanks for the response.

You are so right.

I never understood the whole free agents don't cost anything to sign, so they are "free" reasoning myself. They still come at the expense of lost opportunity. Boy wouldn't that $11M have come in handy for something other than Captain Boat Anchor the last five years?

Fun time indeed.

I don't understand either but some fans do seem to need to find a way of spinning everything in a positive way. There's less emphasis on critical thinking and the future impact, but whatever I suppose.

 

[34]

middle of the summer and still no contract. just imagine Treliving letting both 34 and 88 walk for nothing.

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

middle of the summer and still no contract. just imagine Treliving letting both 34 and 88 walk for nothing.

Why would we need to imagine that in the middle of summer?

 

[andora]

Why would we need to imagine that in the middle of summer?

Because its hot

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

middle of the summer and still no contract. just imagine Treliving letting both 34 and 88 walk for nothing.

What's the big deal? we were told Matthews wasn't signing July 1st,not everybody signs the second they are eligible.

Dahlin isn't signed, Aho isn't signed, Power isn't signed, do you see other fanbases panicing?

No you don't

 

[Mr Bill Waters]

This is getting ridiculous! Give him what he wants, Tre. Dubas would of had this rapped up already, jeez.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

This is getting ridiculous! Give him what he wants, Tre. Dubas would of had this rapped up already, jeez.

Yeah just like he wrapped up the contracts the first time, which was basically wrapping a time bomb in holiday tinsel.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Tkachuk and Batherson $13.2mm (for the moment pretend Tkachuk is a center)
for
Matthews and Jarnkrok $15mm

Thoughts?

if you wish:

Tkachuk and Batherson $13.2mm
for
marner and Jarnkrok $15mm

Thoughts?

That's a disgrace, you should be embarrassed that the thought even entered your brain, let alone that you put it out into the world.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

David Pagnotta said again yesterday the deal will be 3 or 5 years 13-14 million.

Said there is no doubt on either side it will get done.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

David Pagnotta said again yesterday the deal will be 3 or 5 years 13-14 million.

Said there is no doubt on either side it will get done.

Is that supposed to be Matthews idea of taking a discount? Pathetic.

 

[ULF_55]

Is that supposed to be Matthews idea of taking a discount? Pathetic.

That's what happens in basketball.

I like it.

Really pushes the fan base to support the team over the player, unless you never were a fan of the team but have some personal attachment to the player.

He's opening up a huge hole for someone to run in and be the team hero, and turn him into nothing more than a personal money hound. Leader of the unlikeables.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

That's what happens in backetball.

I like it.

Really pushes the fan base to support the team over the player, unless you never were a fan of the team but have some personal attachment to the player.

He's opening up a huge hole for someone to run in and be the team hero, and turn him into nothing more than a personal money hound. Leader of the unlikeables.

This isn't basketball.

One single player does not have anywhere near the impact in this sport that they do in basketball. Basketball also does not have a hard cap. Hockey is a team sport with a hard cap and must be budgeted that way or a team will never succeed.

Our organization and core players have decided money, fame and marketability are all more important to them than team success...and it's the fans that receive the consequences of those decisions.

All the hope we had in 2016 and it was all for nothing.

 

[geo25]

I just think Matthews won't sign. I'll be surprised if we see an announcement in 2023.

I agree....I think he's going to pull a Gaudreau....