Player Discussion Auston Matthews Discussion

Nineteen67

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Looks like they’ve elected to go with the rebuild option rather than trying to win with the core. All things considered probably a good decision,
 

Stephen

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It’s too bad there haven’t been more international tournaments in Matthews career. Mats Sundin took a massive leap as an impact player after being dominant at the World Cup in 1996. Matthews misses the exposure of being in a competitive tournament with other elite stars and maybe absorb some wisdom of how to step up in the big moments.
 
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TMLBlueandWhite

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Matthews is the only player on the team I give a damn if they keep.

Everyone else can pound sand. Nobody else on the team is important enough they can't be traded. Get your respect in the handshake lineup.

Then go collect your cheque in the unemploymemt lineup.

Sure I'd like to see Matthews step it up in the playoffs more. That ragdoll act was an embarassment that speaks for itself. But as a seventy goal scoring franchise centre Matthews is an absolute must for any eam with cup aspirations.

They might not win with him but they definitely won't win without him.

Tavares was just another Sundin. A skilled ppg payer lacking heart and leadership skills. He was never gonna put this team on his back and carry them to a cup the way a player like Matthews still might.

He's the only one on the team who should be considered hands off in a trade this year.
 

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Matthews is the only player on the team I give a damn if they keep.

Everyone else can pound sand. Nobody else on the team is important enough they can't be traded. Get your respect in the handshake lineup.

Then go collect your cheque in the unemploymemt lineup.

Sure I'd like to see Matthews step it up in the playoffs more. That ragdoll act was an embarassment that speaks for itself. But as a seventy goal scoring franchise centre Matthews is an absolute must for any eam with cup aspirations.

They might not win with him but they definitely won't win without him.

Tavares was just another Sundin. A skilled ppg payer lacking heart and leadership skills. He was never gonna put this team on his back and carry them to a cup the way a player like Matthews still might.

He's the only one on the team who should be considered hands off in a trade this year.
I would take Mats Sundin over John Tavares or Auston Matthews in a game that means something 10x out of 10. Auston Matthews is the poison pill of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's painful to say, but it must be said.

His hands are world-class elite and his goal-scoring ability is tops in the NHL since Ovechkin is winding down. Zero disputes there. However, his top priority is maximizing every penny he can squeeze from the Leafs, which is toxic and prohibitive in a hard-cap league, and he has zero dawg in him when it gets tough. He's got hands of gold and the heart of a goldfish.

Matthews is the ultimate dangling carrot. For better or worse, the Leafs hitched their wagon to a hulk of a player who is putty soft when it matters most. Eight seasons and one playoff-round win with this guy at the helm is all you need to know. But he'll likely score 60 again next year and escape any true criticism if the Leafs fail again in the playoffs.
 
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