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

[Gary Nylund]

I don't blame him either. The choice is his. Sign or move on. He has no leverage to get paid higher than market with 2 elite players in front of him.

Every star player approaching UFA status has leverage and sign or move on is the choice they all face

The team is also facing a choice - pay him or he will move on. If you blow your cap space overpaying other players and can't afford him unless it's for a discount then he will probably move on and get paid elsewhere but make no mistake, he will get paid. And if M&M won't give a discount, there's no reason whatsoever for anyone to expect Nylander to give one.

If the players are reasonable, there is cap space for all of them. If they all want every last dollar they can get, then that's probably not the case. I'm waiting for the captain to get off the pot and set the tone myself, sounds like maybe that's where Nylander's at as well.

 

[Captain Crunch]

The other side of that coin is that if we give Matthews whatever he wants, and what he wants is a ridiculous overpayment, then we might just be f***ed and unable to even think about a rebuild for another 8 years and we instead spend those 8 years watching Matthews become a better, but much more expensive version of what JT is now.

Yup, damned if we do, damned if we don’t. And I believe both he and Marner were overpaid on their last contracts, and do not deserve raises.

 

[Menzinger]

At the end of the day, Matthews and Nylander aren’t the same class of player. Or haven’t been for the majority of their careers. So if push came to shove the Leafs should probably just pull the plug on Nylander and solve one of their homegrown princeling headaches.

Ironically I think having an extended Nylander is the only potential tangible leverage the Leafs have when it comes to Marner's eventual negotiations.

 

[LeafEgo]

But the problem, I believe, is that it has been Shanahan all along who is responsible for the culture of this team.

The culture under Shanny was fine when appropriate management was in place. Shanny doesn't strike me as having a big impact on the culture, I think they barely see him these days.

He is responsible for it all, but I don't think he executed the latest iteration.

 

[Notsince67]

Ironically I think having an extended Nylander is the only potential tangible leverage the Leafs have when it comes to Marner's eventual negotiations.

It depends on what the team plans are. If for instance, they shared a plan to go after McDavid when he is up, maybe he curtains his demands.

 

[Stephen]

Ironically I think having an extended Nylander is the only potential tangible leverage the Leafs have when it comes to Marner's eventual negotiations.

These guys are just a pain in the butt, aren't they? Maybe we could just go on a Draisaitl/Rantanen shopping spree.

 

[Mess]

Ironically I think having an extended Nylander is the only potential tangible leverage the Leafs have when it comes to Marner's eventual negotiations.

The last time Nylander signed first at $6.9 mil AAV Marner said I'm going to need $10.9 mil AAV = +4 mil. more and Matthews is his only comparable.

If Nylander signs for $9 mil and Matthews gets his $13,5 mil, Marner is again going to try and do the same and get closer to Matthews than Nylander.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Those contracts really were so terrible. Would be nice if Matthews rectified that with this contract. Not holding my breath though.

 

[Apex Predator]

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Those contracts really were so terrible. Would be nice if Matthews rectified that with this contract. Not holding my breath though.

These contracts are terrible and it’s ridiculous some posters will defend them like they’re normal.

 

[Boxscore]

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Those contracts really were so terrible. Would be nice if Matthews rectified that with this contract. Not holding my breath though.

Been trying to tell you all.

 

[Boxscore]

If Auston isn't leaving any money on the table then why should Nylander?

He shouldn't. Is Nylander the same caliber player as Matthews? No. But Matthews isn't Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, or McDavid, and this attitude that he's above the team needs to stop. And if it takes players like Nylander and / or others to bring this to a boil, so be it. Nylander will likely be traded because Matthews won't budge and it will set the Leafs back. So be it. Incompetent management, and some overly greedy players, are why we're in this mess to begin this. It has come to a head and only two paths are likely:

1. The core players want to be here and commit to the team and leave money on the table.

2. We start losing pieces of said core.

And, due to a hard cap existing, the decision is 100% on the players. The team can only pay these guys so much and still ice a competent lineup. Don't want to leave money on the table to make it work? Deuces.

 

[Captain Crunch]

The culture under Shanny was fine when appropriate management was in place. Shanny doesn't strike me as having a big impact on the culture, I think they barely see him these days.

He is responsible for it all, but I don't think he executed the latest iteration.

We will certainly know more once we see what Matthews signs for, followed next year by Marner.

 

[LeafEgo]

He shouldn't. Is Nylander the same caliber player as Matthews? No. But Matthews isn't Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, or McDavid, and this attitude that he's above the team needs to stop. And if it takes players like Nylander and / or others to bring this to a boil, so be it. Nylander will likely be traded because Matthews won't budge and it will set the Leafs back. So be it. Incompetent management, and some overly greedy players, are why we're in this mess to begin this. It has come to a head and only two paths are likely:

1. The core players want to be here and commit to the team and leave money on the table.

2. We start losing pieces of said core.

And, due to a hard cap existing, the decision is 100% on the players. The team can only pay these guys so much and still ice a competent lineup. Don't want to leave money on the table to make it work? Deuces.

The players themselves don't bear any responsibility for the post elc contracts. Their agents swindled Dubie in a way never seen before. It's not realistic to think the 21 year olds should have stepped in and said no that's too much, and it's a strange concept to think players should negotiate against themselves at the table. The deals did actually end up getting done - it was a success. Calling them greedy is for the birds - It wasn't up to them to protect us from Dubie.

If a player ends up walking because he turned down a sufficient offer that would be a different story but that hasn't happened yet. We'll see.

Now it's Tre's job to fix the unprecedented screw up. Not an easy task, but one he signed up for.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Yup, damned if we do, damned if we don’t. And I believe both he and Marner were overpaid on their last contracts, and do not deserve raises.

Sums up where we're at pretty accurately.

It depends on what the team plans are. If for instance, they shared a plan to go after McDavid when he is up, maybe he curtains his demands.

That would make a lot of sense if it was guaranteed that McD would become UFA. That's not the case however, so hard to see anyone falling for that.

These guys are just a pain in the butt, aren't they? Maybe we could just go on a Draisaitl/Rantanen shopping spree.

LOL. Yeah.

 

[Boxscore]

The players themselves don't bear any responsibility for the post elc contracts. Their agents swindled Dubie in a way never seen before. It's not realistic to think the 21 year olds should have stepped in and said no that's too much, and it's a strange concept to think players should negotiate against themselves at the table. The deals did actually end up getting done - it was a success. Calling them greedy is for the birds - It wasn't up to them to protect us from Dubie.

If a player ends up walking because he turned down a sufficient offer that would be a different story but that hasn't happened yet. We'll see.

Now it's Tre's job to fix the unprecedented screw up. Not an easy task, but one he signed up for.

You're making excuses. Yes, of course the player agents played Dubas and Shanahan. But these guys are now 25 and 26 years old, have had zero playoff success, and are now wise enough to realize the implications and reality that exists with a hard cap. If they all want to stay together, and expect the team to add better players around them, then clearly know they will need to take less money to do it. These guys aren't simpletons, they can do basic math.

If you are a mercenary player, then yes, you don't care if your agent shreds your team. But true team players make it clear to their agents they are willing to take less and do whatever it takes to play in the city they want to be in.

We keep hearing how much Matthews and Marner "love it here"... okay, then put your money where your mouth is.

 

[LeafEgo]

You're making excuses. Yes, of course the player agents played Dubas and Shanahan. But these guys are now 25 and 26 years old, have had zero playoff success, and are now wise enough to realize the implications and reality that exists with a hard cap. If they all want to stay together, and expect the team to add better players around them, then clearly know they will need to take less money to do it. These guys aren't simpletons, they can do basic math.

If you are a mercenary player, then yes, you don't care if your agent shreds your team. But true team players make it clear to their agents they are willing to take less and do whatever it takes to play in the city they want to be in.

We keep hearing how much Matthews and Marner "love it here"... okay, then put your money where your mouth is.

I agree the dynamics are a bit different this time, and we havent seen anything unfold yet, but the players aren't the reason we are in this mess to begin with. We want them to now capitulate the leverage they earned on their previous contract wins. Hopefully both Tre and the players get us to that point and we carry less of a Dubie tax going forward.

Probably we should have just not hired an amateur instead of crying about it now. The players don't owe us as much as you think they do. Not that it wouldn't bring a tear to my eye if we had a player like Mack.

 

[Bomber0104]

I agree the dynamics are a bit different this time, and we havent seen anything unfold yet, but the players aren't the reason we are in this mess to begin with. We want them to now capitulate the leverage they earned on their previous contract wins. Hopefully both Tre and the players get us to that point and we carry less of a Dubie tax going forward.

Probably we should have just not hired an amateur instead of crying about it now. The players don't owe us as much as you think they do. Not that it wouldn't bring a tear to my eye if we had a player like Mack.

I would set an example to the other two that this won't continue anymore in Toronto and trade Nylander, purely out of principle and to send a signal.

If the other two want to play hardball, they can walk and find new landing spots independently and be known as the two biggest hapless losers we've had in Toronto since Vince Carter.

It's their career and legacy they'll have to look back upon eventually.

If they'd like to continue to be greedy, it'll come out organically through their actions, the entire fanbase except for two posters here will turn on them, and they won't have a friendly place to call home back here for a long time, possibly ever.

That's the leverage Treveling has at his disposal.

 

[Captain Crunch]

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Those contracts really were so terrible. Would be nice if Matthews rectified that with this contract. Not holding my breath though.

These two have become so unlikable! All about themselves!

 

[notdoneyet]

The last time Nylander signed first at $6.9 mil AAV Marner said I'm going to need $10.9 mil AAV = +4 mil. more and Matthews is his only comparable.

If Nylander signs for $9 mil and Matthews gets his $13,5 mil, Marner is again going to try and do the same and get closer to Matthews than Nylander.

Why wouldn’t marner ask for matthews money. He is comparable to matthews in every category and is out best all around player.

The disconnect for leaf fans is the marner nylander comparison. Nylander fans have always tried to pit the two against each other and try to belittle marner is many childish ways. And Vica versa with marner fans doing the same to nylander.

In my favourite scenario we traded matthews and kept marner nylander but we all know that’s not going to happen. I believe matthews cannot elevate his game in the playoffs. If you want to be called generational and be the highest paid player in the league you can’t disappear when the going gets tough. IMHO we won’t win a cup with matthews

 

[Eye Test]

I barely follow anymore…someone update me..:he’s not signing before the season starts is he ?

 

[IPS]

I barely follow anymore…someone update me..:he’s not signing before the season starts is he ?

Getting his unprecedented nonsense overpayment will probably require him to put the pressure on next offseason too when he's got other teams offering him like league maximum x 3 or whatever nonsense the media fabricates.

 

[Captain Crunch]

You're making excuses. Yes, of course the player agents played Dubas and Shanahan. But these guys are now 25 and 26 years old, have had zero playoff success, and are now wise enough to realize the implications and reality that exists with a hard cap. If they all want to stay together, and expect the team to add better players around them, then clearly know they will need to take less money to do it. These guys aren't simpletons, they can do basic math.

If you are a mercenary player, then yes, you don't care if your agent shreds your team. But true team players make it clear to their agents they are willing to take less and do whatever it takes to play in the city they want to be in.

We keep hearing how much Matthews and Marner "love it here"... okay, then put your money where your mouth is.

Yup, they certainly do love it here. They get to decide how much they want to get paid, and for the term they want. Where else could they do that? What they have shown so far is that they’re all about themselves first, team second. They are not leaders and they disappear at crucial times in the playoffs. Yet it seems they are thinking they “deserve“ raises, as one poster likes to say. smh

 

[Captain Crunch]

The last time Nylander signed first at $6.9 mil AAV Marner said I'm going to need $10.9 mil AAV = +4 mil. more and Matthews is his only comparable.

If Nylander signs for $9 mil and Matthews gets his $13,5 mil, Marner is again going to try and do the same and get closer to Matthews than Nylander.

But wait, isn’t that okay because “they love playing here”? What a joke! They have shown that they are all about themselves, as you pointed out, Mess. What a colossal blunder by management!

 

[Niagara Bill]

I would set an example to the other two that this won't continue anymore in Toronto and trade Nylander, purely out of principle and to send a signal.

If the other two want to play hardball, they can walk and find new landing spots independently and be known as the two biggest hapless losers we've had in Toronto since Vince Carter.

It's their career and legacy they'll have to look back upon eventually.

If they'd like to continue to be greedy, it'll come out organically through their actions, the entire fanbase except for two posters here will turn on them, and they won't have a friendly place to call home back here for a long time, possibly ever.

That's the leverage Treveling has at his disposal.

June was the time fir decisions when we could make a trade for AM. We screwed that. We know this crew will not win. Have the guts to give up the dream. The tail is wagging the fog, to restart I would give AM 3 yrs, WM 3 yrs at 10m and trade MM for great young dman if possible.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I agree the dynamics are a bit different this time, and we havent seen anything unfold yet, but the players aren't the reason we are in this mess to begin with. We want them to now capitulate the leverage they earned on their previous contract wins. Hopefully both Tre and the players get us to that point and we carry less of a Dubie tax going forward.

Probably we should have just not hired an amateur instead of crying about it now. The players don't owe us as much as you think they do. Not that it wouldn't bring a tear to my eye if we had a player like Mack.

The dynamics aren't "a bit different", they're completely different. The players have pissed away chance after chance to make some noise in the playoffs by folding every time the stakes are raised. That's why we're in this mess and if that's not on the players who are the ones out there choking, then who the hell is it on?