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

[thewave]

Marleau pisses me off, what a trash mentor. If I’m not mistaken he was also the one who told Matthews not to tell the leafs after his incident in Arizona back in 2019

Worst possible person to lead the new core. Soft, money hungry, lack of accountability. Unfortunately, these are various aspects we see on our club

You know once that sort of poison is in there brains nothing will get it out. Nylander may be the only one of the bunch that is truly competitive (somewhat). What terrible luck we have, so bad.

 

[Trapper]

Honestly, this could only happen to the Leafs. The curse is real, there is no two ways about it after now hearing this. It just makes so much sense.

Nature abhors a vacuum.
For every “Toews/Kane”, somebody needs a “Thornton/Marleau”.

 

[Forecheck1]

Mathews wants to be a Leaf as long as he gets what he wants - short term - High Salary - If he doesn't sign a long term Leaf friendly contract so they can build a proper roster then he can walk as far as I am concerned. Get return on the asset while you still can.

 

[mydnyte]

you did watch the leafs before there was a salary cap, no?

since the Ballard years ...we had always had 'cheap' ownership, which is why Gretzky wasnt a Leaf for example. but, current ownership spends $$, and thats what i was talking about. we would outspend pretty much any team with the current ownership.

 

[egd27]

If that chronic wrist problem isn't sorted out, $13M for a 40 goal, 2 way centre is crippling. That should be forefront to whoever is negotiating the next contract.

 

[nuck]

I think we need to canvas Eklund

Eklund Rumor: - Matthews to get more than McDavid?

There is recent speculation been thrown out that Matthews should get more money than McDavid. Agree/disagree?

forums.hfboards.com

 

[Confucius]

Do you want him to walk for nothing? At least this way you can get something later.

Trade him now, How do you get something later? He has a no trade clause his next deal will have one as well.

 

[Superstar]

I think we need to canvas Eklund

Eklund Rumor: - Matthews to get more than McDavid?

There is recent speculation been thrown out that Matthews should get more money than McDavid. Agree/disagree?

forums.hfboards.com

Is Eklund slow? That was the entire purpose of him signing 5 x $11.634 million for his last contract so that he could get a lot more than McDavid. He'd already wanted more than McDavid for his prior contract on an 8 year term.

 

[Trapper]

Trade him now, How do you get something later? He has a no trade clause his next deal will have one as well.

They aren’t going to do that. It’s the Leafs, you know that. He either re-signs or we lose him for nothing. If Shanahan told the 4 they aren’t being moved, that’s the end. He’s betting on the same core that hung Dubas and hopes they don’t hang him.

 

[nuck]

Is Eklund slow? That was the entire purpose of him signing 5 x $11.634 million for his last contract so that he could get a lot more than McDavid. He'd already wanted more than McDavid for his prior contract on an 8 year term.

That was his post before the last contract was signed. One of the few hits.

 

[Superstar]

They aren’t going to do that. It’s the Leafs, you know that. He either re-signs or we lose him for nothing. If Shanahan told the 4 they aren’t being moved, that’s the end. He’s getting on the sand core that hung Dubas and hopes they don’t hang him.

Shanahan might be reminiscing about his Cup days with Detroit:

Matthews = Datsyuk
Marner = Yzerman
Nylander = Fedorov
Tavares = Hull
Holl = Lidstrom

 

[Legion34]

This guy f***ing gets it.

If only our core guys did.

Worried their contracts will be bullshit. If so... time to move some of them.

I don't get how after all this failure they think they deserve to be higher paid then a guy like McDavid... its just greed then.

Ummmm you might want to check his contract

 

[Trapper]

Shanahan might be reminiscing about his Cup days with Detroit:

Matthews = Datsyuk
Marner = Yzerman
Nylander = Fedorov
Tavares = Hull
Holl = Lidstrom

I believed everything until you said Marner was Yzerman.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Shanahan might be reminiscing about his Cup days with Detroit:

Matthews = Datsyuk
Marner = Yzerman
Nylander = Fedorov
Tavares = Hull
Holl = Lidstrom

Holl > Lidstrom, RHD is the more valuable position.

 

[stealth1]

Ummmm you might want to check his contract

Yeah. The point is he could have a lot more but took less so his team can win.

 

[egd27]

At least now all the posters that refused to acknowledge that 34 could screw the Leafs over can can save face by blaming it on the loss of the Boy Wonder if he does.

 

[Squiffy]

At least now all the posters that refused to acknowledge that 34 could screw the Leafs over can can save face by blaming it on the loss of the Boy Wonder if he does.

There are people that deny the possibility? It’s obviously possible.

 

[egd27]

There are people that deny the possibility? It’s obviously possible.

You've been away too long my friend. There are those that swear up and down that there is zero chance Matthews would head elsewhere.

 

[Superstar]

You've been away too long my friend. There are those that swear up and down that there is zero chance Matthews would head elsewhere.

Matthews will try to fleece the Leafs on a massive contract...if he doesn't get it, he's heading to UFA to get it elsewhere.

 

[Squiffy]

Matthews will try to fleece the Leafs on a massive contract...if he doesn't get it, he's heading to UFA to get it elsewhere.

He’s getting it somewhere.

What’s a fleecing? 5*14?

 

[Superstar]

He’s getting it somewhere.

What’s a fleecing? 5*14?

5 x $15 would be fleecing...5 x $14 is still a high premium...i'm fine with 5 x $13...i don't understand how a player thinks he is helping a team become a championship team by taking so much of the cap space...what will be left for the other players? i get it, he doesn't care.

 

[Squiffy]

5 x $15 would be fleecing...5 x $14 is still a high premium...i'm fine with 5 x $13...i don't understand how a player thinks he is helping a team become a championship team by taking so much of the cap space...what will be left for the other players? i get it, he doesn't care.

5*$14 is probably the top end of what I'd swallow. 8* $15 I might live with.

I'm of the mind they will do whatever to sign him, you just can't lose him as the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nothing to do but wait and see.

 

[Superstar]

5*$14 is probably the top end of what I'd swallow. 8* $15 I might live with.

I'm of the mind they will do whatever to sign him, you just can't lose him as the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nothing to do but wait and see.

I'd rather do a 5 year term instead of 8...he'll already be in his 30's at the end of 5 years.

 

[centipede2233]

When John taveras was asked in 2018 if he would leave NYI as a free agent this is what he said, “I think I’ve always showed my commitment, appreciation and desire to play on Long Island. I would like to continue that for the long haul. If you look at some of the greatest players who have spent their entire careers somewhere.”

interviever : that would rule you out of returning to Toronto?
JT: ”I would not count on that”

JT’s final sentence in the interview commenting on playing for NYI “I would love to see it through and lift the stanley cup there”

just because matthews is saying the right things, it don’t mean squat. superstar players approaching their ufa contract will say anything to make you think they are staying as JT has illustrated here

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

It's rather telling that exactly one year to the date Matthews was benched for calling out Keefe in media, it was the coaches turn to be reproached over his infamous "soft and purposeless" comments.

I think we all know who really runs this team.

When we used to go to school they would post the salaries of the professors on the wall in the cafeteria. The average salary was about $250,000 a year. It would take a physics professor, a god damn genius, sixty four years to earn what Matthews made the first year of his contract.

If it's money Matthews wants, it's money Matthews will get.

Leafs fans are about to find out very soon where Matthews loyalties lay. Is he here to lead the team that drafted him first overall to a cup? Or is he just another showboating flash-in-the-pan hotdogger come to get rich quick and leave town as soon as possible thereafter?

The greatest accomplishment of this management team to date was bottoming out and drafting Matthews.

Their lasting legacy may be losing the "greatest Leafs player of all time" to free agency.