Speculation: Chris Johnston "An atom bomb could drop"

[Stephen]

what have mactavish and sennecke done that makes it worth the leafs while to get ride of a 60+ goal scoring Hart winning C who plays selke level D? there is legitimately no winning moving a franchise C it took us 15 years the last time to get another one, how do you suppose we do it this time?

All depends on how bullish you are on Auston Matthews' future.

Is this a nightmare fuel season, one off and next year he's back to full health, completely committed to winning with the Leafs and on the march for 50 goals, 100 points, Selke nominations and he's more and more comfortable as a captain and leader?

Or is a burned out, broken down superstar who is never sniffing those levels again, sick of Toronto, losing, the sport of hockey, etc. Or is it something in between.

 

[SprDaVE]

I like Johnston a lot but he's said this almost every early off-season and it never happens. Maybe this time it will be different, sure sounds like it will be, but I'd be cautious of clickbait stuff.

Leafs better get it right with their hockey operations and their consequent roster moves. They're treading a fine line after years and years of going for it. Throw money at someone that can do a lot of aggressive work to right the ship. I don't know if Treliving is that guy, but maybe he's more of a President kind of guy.

 

[WillNy29]

All depends on how bullish you are on Auston Matthews' future.

Is this a nightmare fuel season, one off and next year he's back to full health, completely committed to winning with the Leafs and on the march for 50 goals, 100 points, Selke nominations and he's more and more comfortable as a captain and leader?

Or is a burned out, broken down superstar who is never sniffing those levels again, sick of Toronto, losing, the sport of hockey, etc. Or is it something in between.

I dont know but I'll tell you this much you won't find another franchise C of that calibre probably for a generation so you could probably kiss winning a cup for another decade or so goodbye

 

[Stephen]

No they didn't. Sure they hit on the top picks but they had a thousand picks in 2017, 2018, 2019 and missed on all of them

Yeah, like I said everything they did up to the Matthews draft was good but they climbed out of the basement too fast. If they were still in the lottery for 2017 and 2018, slower growth, a couple more impact prospects they would have been in better shape. Maybe Matthews, Marner and Nylander don't get their big heads quite so quickly. No cap crisis.

 

[LeafEgo]

As a thought experiment, try to erase the five years of dubie darkness - as if you went through a hypnosis program or an lsd retreat with the Shamans.

Look at the last two years, see what was built, and what's the situation now.

If you replaced Matty and Marner this playoffs, our first line 'C' and 'A', with 25M bucks, what are the odds? And how do they stack up against the field?

Superstars don't grow on trees, but we were already heavy. Marner can be replaced by committee, the real dilemma going into next year is the 1C Matty mystery.

I don't know how you solve that, but if getting healthy is possible, back to the best shot in history, that maybe could work, man purse and all.

If he's perma broken, then yeah. You gotta buckle down, roll up the sleeves, take on risk, and shoot from the hip these next couple years.

Dubie smashed the golden road but we have to accept that cheat code is gone and start assessing things under more traditional terms.

We were the fifth last out.

 

[Trapper]

Then he doesn't get traded right?

Just because he agrees to a trade doesn't mean you do a bad one.

Pretty much.
Matthews and Nylander locked up with full NMC.
Marner and Tavares UFA. You can trade the rights on them to get what you can.
That leaves your rebuild around Matthews and Willy. Matthews has 3 years left so you probably have about 3 years of this core life left. He will be 30 and if things don’t go well I see him leaving.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

I believe Matthews has a full NMC. So first he’d have to agree and/or pick the team. Too hard to say because you might only get one choice of teams.

Literally only Toronto media and fans view this guy like this. He is a generational superstar in his prime. #1C probably the best pure goal scorer in the NHL...

 

[Gary Nylund]

We were the fifth last out.

Just wait until Florida wins the cup without going to game 7 again, we'll be reading hundreds of posts about how we were the second best team in the league.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Literally only Toronto media and fans view this guy like this. He is a generational superstar in his prime. #1C probably the best pure goal scorer in the NHL...

Some fans. Though not all of them Maple Leafs fans.

 

[SprDaVE]

Literally only Toronto media and fans view this guy like this. He is a generational superstar in his prime. #1C probably the best pure goal scorer in the NHL...

A very minor loud set of fans and certain media people view him that way. He's certainly one of the best centers in the league and the Leafs will keep him for awhile, if not his entire career. We can't see the future so we'll see how it looks in 3 or so years.

 

[NorthBayBattleOnion]

was tkachuk a winner? he quit on his team and was garbage in the playoffs till he left so not sure the huberdeau trade was made for a winner

He had the grit and play style to be a winner IMO. Never felt Huberdeau did. The Tkachuk’s US preference should come as no surprise, Brady won’t stay in Ottawa forever either.

 

[ULF_55]

Pretty much.
Matthews and Nylander locked up with full NMC.
Marner and Tavares UFA. You can trade the rights on them to get what you can.
That leaves your rebuild around Matthews and Willy. Matthews has 3 years left so you probably have about 3 years of this core life left. He will be 30 and if things don’t go well I see him leaving.

He could also be one of those great players with a shortened career.

Lindros, Neely, ...

 

[LeafEgo]

Just wait until Florida wins the cup without going to game 7 again, we'll be reading hundreds of posts about how we were the second best team in the league.

I had us at 6th best team going into the playoffs (highest yet). Florida #1.

I didn't bake in any expectations for Marner, that was a handicap, but I did for Matty. That hurt a lot.

I fear some people may have been too damaged by the ridiculous dubie years. Understandable.

But we ain't going scorched earth here. That's not constructive. We have a decent team, and decent management trying to salvage the mess that was made.

When Tre came in there were a lot of posts talking about how it would be a difficult journey to get things back on track, and we're still on schedule.

It's dicey, but possible.

 

[hamzarocks]

I dont know but I'll tell you this much you won't find another franchise C of that calibre probably for a generation so you could probably kiss winning a cup for another decade or so goodbye

This is a failed reasoning and simply fanboyism.

Teams with worse centers than Matthews have won cups (2019 Blues being a clear example)

Teams with worse wingers than Marner/Nylander have won cups (2023 Knights being an example)

Teams with worse D-man than Rielly have won cups (2017 Pens being an example)

The leafs players see their play drop significantly come playoffs. The core 5 make up 50-55% of our cap allocation and produce maybe 75% of required value for us to be a viable cup contender.

Matthews is not and never has been a 60G per 82 scorer come playoffs. He has never been a 50G per 82 or 40G per 82.

He avgs 31 G + 40A for 71 pts per 82 over his 9 years as a leaf with a net AAV over those 9 years of ~8.9M on a avg salary cap over those 9 years of 80.67M.

He has made on avg ~11% of avg salary cap since his first game in 2017.

In that time frame he is 38th in total pts, 21st in ppg for players >50 games played.

He has not failed once or twice, he has failed over the 9 years of his career for the leafs in the playoffs. This is a career playoff choker.

A Joe thornton/Patrick Marleau level player who sucks when the refs tighten the whistles, and when defenses are preventing chances with tighter and more restrictive and body sacrificing defense.

He is a career loser and showed he takes 0 responsibility with his dumb comment on this team losing to "too many passangers" instead of the core 5 again f***ing choking hard and being shut down like its nothing

 

[jaric1862]

Can't believe some of these takes I'm reading ... unhinged. Trading Matthews would be a massive mistake.

 

[Avilaj07]

I would have 0 problem with this team going scorched earth. Letting Marner and Tavares walk should be a given. Putting Matthews and Nylander on the market, my god the returns would be astronomical and maybe exactly what this team needs. Like someone previously posted, after these playoffs, I think the fans would actually embrace a massive retool.

 

[darrylsittler27]

All depends on how bullish you are on Auston Matthews' future.

Is this a nightmare fuel season, one off and next year he's back to full health, completely committed to winning with the Leafs and on the march for 50 goals, 100 points, Selke nominations and he's more and more comfortable as a captain and leader?

Or is a burned out, broken down superstar who is never sniffing those levels again, sick of Toronto, losing, the sport of hockey, etc. Or is it something in between.

If Mitch leaves he will want out.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Can't believe some of these takes I'm reading ... unhinged. Trading Matthews would be a massive mistake.

Depends on the return.

 

[jaric1862]

I would have 0 problem with this team going scorched earth. Letting Marner and Tavares walk should be a given. Putting Matthews and Nylander on the market, my god the returns would be astronomical and maybe exactly what this team needs. Like someone previously posted, after these playoffs, I think the fans would actually embrace a massive retool.

How about the fact we don't own our first round picks for the next two years? "Tanking" will not benefit us.

 

[Avilaj07]

How about the fact we don't own our first round picks for the next two years? "Tanking" will not benefit us.

Did I say anything about tanking? I never said trade matthews and Nylander for picks and prospects.

 

[darrylsittler27]

I dont know but I'll tell you this much you won't find another franchise C of that calibre probably for a generation so you could probably kiss winning a cup for another decade or so goodbye

Again, depends on the return.

 

[jaric1862]

Did I say anything about tanking? I never said trade matthews and Nylander for picks and prospects.

Teams don't trade their franchise 1c and get better. The only argument for trading them is to rebuild and now is not the time to do that.

They will have approx $25M this summer to re-work the team.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Valuable assets.

Cellebrini.

 

[HofT]

Yeah, like I said everything they did up to the Matthews draft was good but they climbed out of the basement too fast. If they were still in the lottery for 2017 and 2018, slower growth, a couple more impact prospects they would have been in better shape. Maybe Matthews, Marner and Nylander don't get their big heads quite so quickly. No cap crisis.

They got those big contracts because Dubas signed Tavares for 11 million. That type of value became the standard.

 

[kevsh]

We were the fifth last out.

Which would be pretty good if we were, say, Ottawa, or Minnesota, etc.

When you consider Toronto finished 4th overall, finishing "5th" - and only because other teams finished their series quicker - doesn't quite sound so great.

In fact this truly desperate belief that the because the Leafs were the fifth last team standing is come kind of grand accomplishment is some world-class level coping. Seriously, it's embarrassing anyone would even mention it, and this is not the first time.

As for Chris Johnston, please.
It sounds more like an attempt by Toronto media to placate Leafs fans just long enough - like until we get good weather so we're all up north at the cottage getting drunk - before we realize nothing substantial will change.