D-day has come and gone. Not a lick of difference between July 1 and June 11 to an acquiring team.
News Article: Auston Matthews - August 1st., Contract Crickets
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yubbers
Grown Menzez
- May 1, 2013
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- Jan 22, 2007
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Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
I don't think having him locked in as a 32/33 year old all that matters for the Leafs. The best hockey of his remaining career is highly likely to occur over the next 4ish seasons - they're what matters most from a team pov
- Jan 22, 2007
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Imho this is silly talk for a 25-year old player who is considered by some as the greatest Maple Leaf of all-time. Do you think the Oilers wouldn't want to lock-up McDavid and Draisaitl for 8 years at age 25? Or the Bruins with Pastrnak, or the Avs with MacKinnon, Makar, or Rantanen? Or the Pens with Sid and Malkin, or the Caps with Ovechkin? Teams absolutely want term control with their 25-year old superstars and to cement them as the icons of their franchise.
Suggesting otherwise means we believe Matthews will only concede 4-5 years to the Leafs and we're looking to justify that instead of rightfully challenging it, or we truly don't believe Matthews is the guy and we're skeptical of how good a player he is, or will be at 29. Either one is absolutely ludicrous for a player who is likely going to demand around 14 mil a pop (more than McDavid, Makar, or MacKinnon).
The fact that we're even suggesting that Matthews best years will be gone by age 29 is a major indictment of his game and star power. Considering after Alex Ovechkin turned 29 he had four 50+ goal seasons and three 40+ goal seasons. During the shortened Covid year he also scored at a 40+ goal pace over 82gp.
If we're going to pay Matthews more than any player on the planet, we're doing so because we believe he is the best, or one of the best, goal scorers in the world -- the new Ovie. And, if that's the case, Matthews should be scoring 40-50 goals well into his late-30s like Ovechkin is. That's 12 more years of top goal scoring. And you honestly believe the Leafs wouldn't want club control for 8 of those? Of course they would.
Dreakmur
Registered User
Just like Crosby, Ovechkin declined after he turned 30. They doesn’t mean they turned into bad players, but they weren’t as good as they were in their 20s.
- Jan 22, 2007
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Since Ovechkin turned 30, he scored 50+ goals four times and won 4 Rocket Richards lol. You can call that declining all you like but 50 goals is 50 goals and he was great enough to lead the NHL in goal scoring from age 30-on.
Alex Ovechkin, Age 19-29:
- 5 Rockets
Alex Ovechkin, Age 30-37:
- 4 Rockets
- 1 Stanley Cup
- Conn Smythe
If that's the type of player we believe Matthews to be, we should want him for 8 years, and the Leafs do. Pretending we don't is pure insanity.
Bomber0104
Registered User
Then surely he can find another setup with that outrageous salary demand elsewhere...
We don't want him in Toronto where he constantly gets spooked out of making a meaningful impact..
Absolute loser.
know what the funny part is?
the previous 85 pages of this this topic are null and void because a) nobody knows what the Matthews camp is asking for and b) nobody knows what the Leafs will offer
"Matthews outrageous salary demands".... no one knows what he's 'demanding' in the first place
every last detail of this whole thing is 100% pure speculation.. because only he and the Leafs know what's going on yet everyone is spreading rumors and losing their sh*t lol
the previous 85 pages of this this topic are null and void because a) nobody knows what the Matthews camp is asking for and b) nobody knows what the Leafs will offer
"Matthews outrageous salary demands".... no one knows what he's 'demanding' in the first place
every last detail of this whole thing is 100% pure speculation.. because only he and the Leafs know what's going on yet everyone is spreading rumors and losing their sh*t lol
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ToneDog
56 years and counting. #FireTheShanaClan!
Dreakmur
Registered User
20-29: 8 times top-10 in points.
30+: none
As I said, not bad, but certainly not as good.
- Jan 22, 2007
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In 7 years: 4 x 50 goals and 3 x 40. Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe. "Not bad"
And you're still saying the Leafs wouldn't want similar production from Matthews during his 30s?
Crosby and Malkin play with Pens for their entire careers, at least until approaching 40. Kane and Toews with the Hawks into their mid-to-late-30s. Kopitar with the Kings. Bergeron and Marchand with Bruins. MacKinnon, etc. with the Avs. Stamkos and Hedman with the Bolts.
Why are the Leafs the only team, and their iconic star, the only team who seem to not want to commit long-term?
ShaneFalco
Registered User
- Jan 22, 2007
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We have a framework, based on his last deal and the salary and term he demanded. Do you think Matthews is taking a pay cut? Of course not. He's going to demand more. And if he only demanded 1 million more per year, he'd be the highest paid player in hockey history. So what do you think his demands are going to be? A 300k pay increase? He's going to at least demand a 2 million increase per year. That is simply using mild logic.
The additional sticking point is term -- another layer that hasn't favored the Leafs with the last batch of deals. Our stars all want short-term deals that favor them and don't benefit the club. Again, we have history to prove this, we're not just randomly pulling it out of the ether.
Dreakmur
Registered User
You misinterpreted that statement.
I’m not saying anything other than players tend to decline in their 30s, even the elite ones. Chronic wrist problems combined with an inconsistent desire to win may not age gracefully.
I can’t tell you why, but I can tell you that they already missed the most important contract to get 8 years. Now that we’ve missed that, it’s less important that we get the less valuable days locked up.
Racer88
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2020
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Racer88
Registered User
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Wouldnt it make more sense to look at his 33-35 year old season to see if that is good value? It would include Ovi's cup fwiw
Mess
Global Moderator
Its almost a crying shame for Leafs Nation
that the past GM didn't get Matthews locked up for the full 8 years on his last deal like he should have, and then we wouldn't even be here worrying about any of this, if Matthews was just about to enter year #1 of his UFA status years under contract long-term, and would have had +3 more to go after that on this current deal.Those 4ish seasons at his current rate of $11.6 mil would look really nice right now for Toronto from ages 26-30.
Having him potentially hit UFA status at age 26 with a full MNC in his last year giving him full control, being the complete worst situation the Leafs could find themselves in now. The next 20 days going to be pivotal in deciding his fate and Leafs future. He basically been issued a blank cheque from the Leafs if they want to keep him into those prime years.
New GM comes in and has to begin his tenure trying to build a Championship team around what is expected to be the highest AAV and CH% in the NHL, or lose his franchise centre for nothing if he doesn't, or forced to deal him away in the month of June for the highest return. That doesn't even include also being handed 2 X $11 mil additional contracts on the books to navigate.
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This sounds like Crosby vs. Ovechkin bias is creeping in.
What Ovechkin has accomplished is elite after his 30s lol. That's what you want from any player. He gave you all you could ask for. That's certain better than "not bad". That's historic level production in the 30s.
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Do you know how hard it is to have a 50 goal season?
Ovechkin who might be the best or second best goal scorer of all time has had 4, 50 goal seasons since turning 30. It’s not impossible for Matthews to have that success as well.
Matthews is good for 40 goals most years which is incredible. 50 is outstanding and pretty much an anomaly.
if Matthews got his retirement contract he might not be as motivated. knowing he wants another long term contract means he will or should be as motivated as ever to play at a high level
Stephen
Moderator
- Feb 28, 2002
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I think we're suggesting we pay him the most money during his most productive seasons and then take a beat and re-assess at 30, 32 or 33 whatever the cut off on that deal is. He can be a Leaf for life, but if the production tapers off and you can taper off the AAV in a bigger cap, what's the problem?
Well yeah, of course it would look nice right now if we had significantly underpaid Matthews back then. That's a pretty obvious statement.
We could have locked up Matthews for 8 years, but then instead of worrying about paying him more now, we would have just been worried about paying him pretty close to the same amount more this whole time through a stagnant cap.
If theoretically, Matthews were to sign a 3 year deal at rumoured amounts, then over his 8 years post-ELC, we'll have paid him less overall, and essentially traded cap space through the final 3 years when the cap starts rising again for cap space during the first 5 years through the stagnant cap. Which is what most people would choose and prefer.
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