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

[baton elevated]

Yup been preaching that today. Less than 4 weeks to d-day.


he should be embarrassed after his and his team's performance vs the 8th seed. Once again the path to the SCF was there for the taking and he was a disappointment. Dude go everything he wanted in his last deal. Bonuses, money, shorter term, NMC in last year and delivered one great year. Time to give back my man. It's too bad Leafs management has no balls.

Couldn't agree more!

 

[MCR74]

Everyone is saying you give Matthews what he wants. The trouble with that is this time I think Marner asks for the same or more.
So finding out the return should start now.

Matthes is a good player, but l wouldn't break the bank for him because Marner will want just as much. They haven't exactly played to their potential during the post season, so a part of me is fine with them both gone if their demands are ridiculous.

 

[Trapper]

Matthes is a good player, but l wouldn't break the bank for him because Marner will want just as much. They haven't exactly played to their potential during the post season, so a part of me is fine with them both gone if their demands are ridilous.

We will certainly find out if they want to build a team or bank account.

 

[Racer88]

If AM wants to be the highest paid player in the game he is asking for some serious stress levels. Will he be able to live up to it when maybe half a dozen other players in the league out point him. Things can go very wrong for him in the media's eyes. He will be under intense scrutiny. I wouldn't want it, take a little less and let your financial advisors make up the difference in the investment world.

Or better yet maybe he could develop a personality and make it up in endorsements

We will certainly find out if they want to build a team or bank account.

Sadly my money is on bank account. I don’t trust any of them to put the team ahead of themselves

 

[authentic]

If Toronto trades Matthews, they need to do whatever they can to get a #1C back in the deal.

Byfield is young and was a highly touted top pick, but hasn't shown any indications he's going to be a #1C so far. If you're dealing for him, you have to be certain he'll grow into a #1C and quickly.

Most people don't think JT should even be a center anymore (and if he is, a lot of people wrongly believe he isn't even a #2C at this point). Either way, he's trending down... so how good is our center group going to look in the next few years?

I don't want him traded, but a deal around Beniers/Larkin/Pettersson/Suzuki plus extras makes a lot more sense to me.

I honestly don't know if Vancouver would trade Pettersson for Matthews straight up

 

[Legion34]

I honestly don't know if Vancouver would trade Pettersson for Matthews straight up

Not without an extension.
Matthews is clearly the better player. But he probably would t re sign

 

[authentic]

Not without an extension.
Matthews is clearly the better player. But he probably would t re sign

Yeah but Petterrson has been trending upwards and just had a fantastic two-way season. I also wouldn't trade Matthews for Petterrson because of course Matthews will easily be better if he's healthy going forward.

 

[Boxscore]

I honestly don't know if Vancouver would trade Pettersson for Matthews straight up

Depends on:

1. Internal discussions with Tocchet and his staff. One thing that impressed me the most is how Pettersson seemed to thrive under Tocchet (a hard-nosed, aggressive, demanding coach). If the coaching staff loves Pettersson too much, I don't think management rocks the boat. If they are interested in a potential swap, I think that elevates it.

2. Matthews willingness to sign long-term (at least 5-6 years) in Vancouver.

In terms of player vs. player, Matthews has more marquee value and hardware, but Pettersson could be a slightly better all-around player, just less sexy.

 

[authentic]

Depends on:

1. Internal discussions with Tocchet and his staff. One thing that impressed me the most is how Pettersson seemed to thrive under Tocchet (a hard-nosed, aggressive, demanding coach). If the coaching staff loves Pettersson too much, I don't think management rocks the boat. If they are interested in a potential swap, I think that elevates it.

2. Matthews willingness to sign long-term (at least 5-6 years) in Vancouver.

In terms of player vs. player, Matthews has more marquee value and hardware, but Pettersson could be a slightly better all-around player, just less sexy.

I agree with all of that, and believe they mostly love having him so they wouldn't consider it in the first place. Except the last part, healthy Matthews is a better all-around and definitely overall player. I mean maybe Pettersson reached a slightly better defensive level this past season than what Matthews has shown? But offensively there's no contest assuming Matthews returns to previous form.

 

[keonsbitterness]

So how about 13.5 or 13.75 or 14.0……..where is the line

Over $13.5 is a hard no for me. $13-13.5 is a gray area.

 

[Mess]

 

[thewave]

Looking at that picture he is going to look a lot like Kessel in 5 years lol

 

[Stephen]

I agree with all of that, and believe they mostly love having him so they wouldn't consider it in the first place. Except the last part, healthy Matthews is a better all-around and definitely overall player. I mean maybe Pettersson reached a slightly better defensive level this past season than what Matthews has shown? But offensively there's no contest assuming Matthews returns to previous form.

I don’t think a Matthews for Pettersson would be a trade we would win on a number of fronts ranging from offensive upside, prestige, etc. But Pettersson for Marner would be a slam dunk.

 

[Mess]

BT thinking outside the box to get Matthews extended.

 

[Racer88]

Over $13.5 is a hard no for me. $13-13.5 is a gray area.

Agreed. Over 12.5 is almost a hard no for me especially with his wonky wrist. His shot is not even close to what it once was

For a moment I thought it was Pablo Escobar

 

[authentic]

I don’t think a Matthews for Pettersson would be a trade we would win on a number of fronts ranging from offensive upside, prestige, etc. But Pettersson for Marner would be a slam dunk.

Yeah I would do that trade but no chance Vancouver does

 

[andora]

He was only considered “underpaid” because he was a lafreniere level bust who completely doubted himself and his abilities (he openly acknowledges he was in therapy and believed he couldn’t do it).

He took an overpayment for where he was but to his massive credit he worked hard and became what he was supposed to be. A tier under Matthews

He also went on and on about how he was going to take less

Then became the highest paid in the league.

A tier under matthews?..

 

[Racer88]

The announcer in Vegas just said the Marchesault has 11 goals in 12 games in the playoffs this year. He makes 5 million per year and is playing in the finals.
Do we really want to give Matthews 13million per year.
in what universe is he ever worth that when he totally disappears in the playoffs

 

[ORRFForever]

The announcer in Vegas just said the Marchesault has 11 goals in 12 games in the playoffs this year. He makes 5 million per year and is playing in the finals.
Do we really want to give Matthews 13million per year.
in what universe is he ever worth that when he totally disappears in the playoffs

Vegas (and Seattle) are perfect examples of what you need to succeed : Depth! They took the 5th or 6th best player from every team and it paid off.

Giving $14M to Matthews is insane. Posters assume getting from under JT's contract will pay dividends. It won't if all that extra money just ends up going into Matthews'/Marner's/Nylander's pockets.

 

[Racer88]

Vegas (and Seattle) are perfect examples of what you need to succeed = depth. They took the 5th or 6th best player from every team and it paid off.

Giving $14M to Matthews is insane. Posters assumed getting from under JT contract would pay dividends. It won't if all that extra money just ends up going into Matthews'/Marner's/Nylander's pockets.

Having 3 11 million dollar players is absolutely asinine yet some here still think Dubas had a clue what he is doing

it looking like Vegas in their 6th season are going to win the cup with no real superstars

 

[Boxscore]

I don’t think a Matthews for Pettersson would be a trade we would win on a number of fronts ranging from offensive upside, prestige, etc. But Pettersson for Marner would be a slam dunk.

I dunno. For starters, Pettersson's cap hit is likely going to be in the Tkachuk (9.5) to Pastrnak (11) range with a long-term deal. I'd say in between, so maybe 10.25. And that's likely on a 7-8 year deal, for a player who can flirt with 90-100+ points every year.

The only thing Matthews currently does better than Pettersson is score goals. Matthews, a few years ago, was a more relentless and aggressive puck hound, but that has tampered off quite a bit. Pettersson is also a better passer -- he's among the best in the world.

I do think Matthews clearly has more marquee value and his offensive "upside" is a bit higher. But how much higher really? At best, Matthews is a 60-50-110 guy and Pettersson is a 40-65-105 guy (had 39 goals and 102pts. this year).

When you factor in Matthews is like likely to demand 13.5 to 14 mil per year on less term than Pettersson, a potential swap looks better and better. That 3+ mil cap hit difference is huge when we're already scrambling to add good depth.

All of this said, I'm basing this on my expectation that Matthews is still focused on making every penny and will not be willing to sign for MacKinnon money (12.6). Even that is 2+ more than what Pettersson will likely make but it will show us a side of Matthews we absolutely need to see -- putting the team first for once. If we're talking about Matthews vs. Pettersson at the same salary and term, no, I don't trade 34 for him.

 

[andora]

I dunno. For starters, Pettersson's cap hit is likely going to be in the Tkachuk (9.5) to Pastrnak (11) range with a long-term deal. I'd say in between, so maybe 10.25. And that's likely on a 7-8 year deal, for a player who can flirt with 90-100+ points every year.

The only thing Matthews currently does better than Pettersson is score goals. Matthews, a few years ago, was a more relentless and aggressive puck hound, but that has tampered off quite a bit. Pettersson is also a better passer -- he's among the best in the world.

I do think Matthews clearly has more marquee value and his offensive "upside" is a bit higher. But how much higher really? At best, Matthews is a 60-50-110 guy and Pettersson is a 40-65-105 guy (had 39 goals and 102pts. this year).

When you factor in Matthews is like likely to demand 13.5 to 14 mil per year on less term than Pettersson, a potential swap looks better and better. That 3+ mil cap hit difference is huge when we're already scrambling to add good depth.

All of this said, I'm basing this on my expectation that Matthews is still focused on making every penny and will not be willing to sign for MacKinnon money (12.6). Even that is 2+ more than what Pettersson will likely make but it will show us a side of Matthews we absolutely need to see -- putting the team first for once. If we're talking about Matthews vs. Pettersson at the same salary and term, no, I don't trade 34 for him.

Could anyone IMAGINE the hype pettersson would be getting if he was in toronto....

What % does this market add to a player's allure does everyone figure?

 

[Boxscore]

Could anyone IMAGINE the hype pettersson would be getting if he was in toronto....

What % does this market add to a player's allure does everyone figure?

Yes, actually. Pettersson has ton of hype in most circles already, but magnify that in Toronto.

 

[andora]

Yes, actually. Pettersson has ton of hype in most circles already, but magnify that in Toronto.

It would be off the charts and throw in the salming to sundin to our next swedish savior

If pettersson maintains what he did this year on the ice he has become a top 5 center imo

 

[Boxscore]

It would be off the charts and throw in the salming to sundin to our next swedish savior

If pettersson maintains what he did this year on the ice he has become a top 5 center imo

Yes, we've had some iconic Swedes as the face of the franchise and it would be neat to have another in Pettersson. I also think if we made the swap, pairing Nylander with Pettersson would be great, which would give us Tavares and Marner on the 2nd line.

If Pettersson keeps it up, he's in the mix. After McDavid, MacKinnon, and Draisaitl, there are a group that could go either way depending on the year. That group includes Barkov, Matthews, Pettersson, Point, Crosby, Stamkos, Aho, Zibanejad, soon Stutzle, etc.

The thing that impressed me the most about Pettersson is the way he manned up once Tocchet took over the reigns.