Auston Matthews (Trade or Keep)? (CANNOT re-sign before July 1st. - NMC July 1st.)

[Bomber0104]

If the Leafs trade Matthews they likely lose that trade badly. Most teams won’t trade young cost controlled players, you’ll be taking back a big contract on a 60-80 point player and some picks/prospects.

Leafs Centre depth goes out the window with an aging Tavares and no Matthews.

So what?

The alternative is getting held hostage to a bed-wetting no-show in the playoffs?

I'll take some high pick(s), prospect(s), and cap back to stay competitive.

Nothing wrong with a package, it's all about getting more than what you just wagered...

Like how badly Dubas lost with the ROR trade (for example) is what you want back in a Matthews trade.

 

[sunstersun]

I'd rather let him walk than pay him 13.5mil +

That being said, trade trade trade.

 

[HolyGhost]

As an outsider. I look at the fact McDavid signed his contract in Edmonton 4 days after he could.

The only question is, if Matthews wants to wait till 24 to talk new contract...do you guys wait?

 

[sunstersun]

As an outsider. I look at the fact McDavid signed his contract in Edmonton 4 days after he could.

The only question is, if Matthews wants to wait till 24 to talk new contract...do you guys wait?

Hell no. He's 1/10th the player Mcdavid and Drai are in the playoffs.

Wait till 24 lmao? We ship him and Marner out of Toronto in a rocket ship asap.

 

[horner]

Hell no. He's 1/10th the player Mcdavid and Drai are in the playoffs.

Wait till 24 lmao? We ship him and Marner out of Toronto in a rocket ship asap.

Mathews isn't even great in the regular season.
Willy and Marner were heads above him.

Mathews next contract will be a boat anchor.

It will take some big balls to make changes to this team.

 

[sunstersun]

Mathews isn't even great in the regular season.
Willy and Marner were heads above him.

Mathews next contract will be a boat anchor.

It will take some big balls to make changes to this team.

He's gonna sign an extension and get another wrist injury.

His shot will be worst than Nylander by next year.

 

[wintersej]

For those saying “trade him before NMC kicks in”… the NMC means crap. Only a team with a chance of giving him a new contract is gonna win a bidding war anyway.

To those saying “you don’t trade a high end #1C”. I dunno. The Bruins traded Thornton in the middle of his Hart campaign and no Bruins fan ever second guesses that. Just get a better return than we did.

As an outsider, when Matthews gets the puck on his stick in the o-zone I am terrified. Absolutely terrified. He makes goals out of plays that shouldn’t be goals. His shot breaks the game. But the rest of his game is closer to OK than elite and he isn’t able to raise it.

But that shot is still there. Problem is that the play driving wingers on the team shrink and Matthews gets fewer chances. Do you wish Matthews could do it on his own? Sure. Is it hard to justify giving someone that kind of cap hit if they need more help than McDavid/Drai/Mac? I get it. But man game breakers are hard to find.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Like others have posted. You only trade him if you think he won't resign right after July 1st

 

[sunstersun]

Like others have posted. You only trade him if you think he won't resign right after July 1st

Or he asks for a penny over his old contract.

 

[Hoglund4MvP]

Explain to me what anyone is supposed to do with the wingers you just witnessed.

One of the leagues best players became a slow north-south + perimeter player and we have 0 good Lwers for that line.

You can jump in a space ship and scan every galaxy that exist you won't find a no.1 C scoring hitting blocking shooting winning face-offs and playing D the way Matthews will be doing on his new team due to the idiots of Toronto chasing him out of town.

 

[Dragao6]

Depends on return
If ur bringing in a McKinnon then absolutely
Is there a young rock star defender that can play with rielly that will change things for us or 2 top d that makes us look like Carolina?

But nothing will happen
It’s what we do
This team will only be relevant when that tavares contract runs out

 

[Buds17]

What step forward? 1 playoff round win in 7 years? (And they got extremely lucky they didn’t lose that playoff round)


Yeah.......... Matthews certainly lit the lamp in that Florida series didn’t he???

Though underwhelming, this was still the best finish the team has experienced with this regime and core. Moves of whatever significance are certain to be coming. I'm just not entirely convinced of this one in particular being the greatest play.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I know there a thread going on for matthews but I want to see a poll

Should we Trade or Keep Matthews?

Scenarios:
- We keep matthews then:
A) he either walks as UFA
B) he wants anywhere from 14 to 15 AAV for 8 years

Given his drive the last few years especially in the playoffs I am not comfortable giving him that kind of AAV I don't give a F how many "regular season" goals he scores

OR

- We trade Matthews and get some picks/prospects and retool/rebuild again
Question then becomes how much can we get for Matthews given he only has 1 more year before he hits UFA market, what is the other team going to pay for something like that and risk matthews walking as a UFA?

So leafs nation what do you think?

Trade or Keep Matthews?

You keep him you don't even CONSIDER trading him unless he REFUSES an extension

 

[ToneDog]

Sign if he wants to stay. Trade if he does not. Everybody else should be shopped.

 

[DarkKnight]

It is interesting to me that the worst of the core four this playoffs is the one we need to keep the most. Makes no sense, but he is the most “talented”. He’s also the most disappointing.

 

[BallardEra]

I'm expecting the Leafs to announce he's having wrist surgery.

I also think it comes down to whether he wants to keep dealing with the pressure in Toronto or moving on.

 

[CapspaceKiller]

I'm with the keep him if he wants to re-sign, trade him if he wants to go.

If you trade him, you better have a plan to replace your #1 center, because Tavares will be a 3rd line center in no time and all of a sudden you'll have 22-25m committed to Marner and Nylander without a top 6 center.

Matthews is the hardest to replace amongst the big 4.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

For those saying “trade him before NMC kicks in”… the NMC means crap. Only a team with a chance of giving him a new contract is gonna win a bidding war anyway.

To those saying “you don’t trade a high end #1C”. I dunno. The Bruins traded Thornton in the middle of his Hart campaign and no Bruins fan ever second guesses that. Just get a better return than we did.

As an outsider, when Matthews gets the puck on his stick in the o-zone I am terrified. Absolutely terrified. He makes goals out of plays that shouldn’t be goals. His shot breaks the game. But the rest of his game is closer to OK than elite and he isn’t able to raise it.

But that shot is still there. Problem is that the play driving wingers on the team shrink and Matthews gets fewer chances. Do you wish Matthews could do it on his own? Sure. Is it hard to justify giving someone that kind of cap hit if they need more help than McDavid/Drai/Mac? I get it. But man game breakers are hard to find.

I remember that Thornton trade EVERYBODY second guessed that.

It eventually worked out because they signed Savard and Chara.

But make no mistake that trade was absolutely second guessed and rightly so because had they not signed Savard and Chara that trade goes as one of the worst in NHL history.

 

[CapspaceKiller]

As an outsider. I look at the fact McDavid signed his contract in Edmonton 4 days after he could.

The only question is, if Matthews wants to wait till 24 to talk new contract...do you guys wait?

He already signed a 6 year deal that's about to come due. He was the easiest negotiation amongst Marner, Nylander and him. The other 2 were a nightmare to sign.

 

[ShaneFalco]

I think you trade him because my gut says he'll leave. If he does want to stay though, absolutely keep him

I'm expecting the Leafs to announce he's having wrist surgery.

I also think it comes down to whether he wants to keep dealing with the pressure in Toronto or moving on.

Yeah something was off with him for sure

 

[wintersej]

I remember that Thornton trade EVERYBODY second guessed that.

It eventually worked out because they signed Savard and Chara.

But make no mistake that trade was absolutely second guessed and rightly so because had they signed Savard and Chara that trade goes as one of the worst in NHL history.

The team had decided that the team was never going to win with Thornton's personality and that this young kid named Bergeron was the guy they wanted to build around.

 

[sunstersun]

The more I think about it, the more I think we should trade him.

These wrist injuries are consistent feature, not an outlier at this point.

Without an uber elite shot, he's not an uber elite player.

 

[NVious]

You explore options for all of Marner, Matthews and Nylander. Depending on the return all 3 of them should be available at least, but obviously if he's not signing you 100% trade him, there will be no excuse for getting Gaudreau'd or Tavares'd

 

[Stephen]

The team had decided that the team was never going to win with Thornton's personality and that this young kid named Bergeron was the guy they wanted to build around.

Even in his veteran state in 2021, you could see why Joe Thornton was never a winner personality-wise.

 

[NVious]

As an outsider. I look at the fact McDavid signed his contract in Edmonton 4 days after he could.

The only question is, if Matthews wants to wait till 24 to talk new contract...do you guys wait?

There's nothing to think about on his end, Toronto gave him the keys to the city, surrounded him with everything he needed to succeed and he didn't.

Even the post game interviews just strike me as more of "well shucks that sucks" as opposed to a guy who hates to lose. He and Marner can both take a hike.