HV - agree 100% with your statement above. If the Leafs are going to change the culture (which 100% is needed), they need to re-establish control, ensure the good of the organization is paramount, and make everyone understand the inmates aren't running the asylum.
Really though it was the overrating of Matthews that lead to that contract in the first place. Marners Dad saw those early years and was like Marner is right there with Auston. So they dug in their heels.
I mean this is the reason why he's not waiving, isn't it obvious? He wants to prove that they want to re-sign him. There will be plenty of noise and not sure if he can handle that, but business wise he's not losing any money over it. Probably just upping his number. And this is high-risk/high-reward for his Toronto legacy. Either he will be one of the most hated Leafs of recent times, or he will be re-signed and people will cheer it. Waiving the NMC would be an easy way out.
Agreed. Kids a hometown kid who’s given his all to the leaf’s Organization. And what does he get in return? Nothing but pure hate.
I wonder if Marner would have signed for less if Babcock had been fired during that offseason, before Marner re-signed.
Well yeh that’s been happening for years. Further proving that being a Toronto Pajama boy is the worst possible career move any player could make.
No, because they gave Matthews what he wanted and Marner actually had a case to argue he could make more than Matthews (at the time).
True. Really it was the extreme overrating of Matthews that ultimately lead to the overpay for Marner.
It wasn't overrating. Matthews has been paid just fine for his value. The issue was that they signed John Tavares to an 11 million dollar deal, and after that Matthews and Marner could come to negotiations demanding for something similar because they were already better players than JT. And with Matthews, they made the mistake of giving him both short term and high AAV, because they didn't want another tough negotiation like they just had with Nylander.
And yet the hate persists.
Sure it was, they overpaid Matthews. He took a contract that would have him paid more than McDavid (considering term). He is not even close to McDavid let alone better than him.
Actually Nurse was being questioned by media why his plus/minus was how it was. Most of Edmonton media dug into it and defended his play. The “hate” for Nurse from media was coming straight out of where it always comes from Toronto. It was the talking heads there that blew up the story instead of just your normal player analysis and critique that we have in Edmonton. In Toronto, it’s way more toxic, not in any way shape or form close.
Leafs may still be the highest bidder once Tavares money freed up. Teams will be willing to pay him more if they are getting him as a free agent - no assets out the door but Its hard to envision a world where Marner is making more than he makes today. Maybe he can get a couple teams in a bidding war but in a Cap world anyone who pays him 11+M is making a mistake
So why should he care. He is getting paid to play. He doesn’t care.
Because that contract hampered the leafs ability to fill real holes, and he was completely uneeded. The leafs already had Centre depth. I said it at the time and I'm still saying it now. That contract shut the leafs window, actually slammed it shut. 1 series win with Tavares in the lineup is a colossal failure.
