Eichel

[Pookie]

No, I didn't. Stop twisting what I said. I said "Matthews is signed for another 3 years, and is likely to re-sign afterwards", because you were suggesting trading him for a worse player with a career threatening injury when he has 3 years left on his deal, and you were making baseless claims about him "not being here long term".

baseless is a funny term you like to use.

base 1. He has 3 years left on a deal

base 2. He becomes UFA at the end of it

base 3. He hasn’t signed an extension with us beyond the above

If anything, your assertion that he’s here to say has no basis beyond the 3 seasons he’s under contract to us for.

 

[Bluebear]

I wouldn't assume anything regarding Matthew's future. It would be nice to keep him long term, but it would be nicer to win a cup.

No way I would let him walk and use him as "an own rental," when you consider the haul he would bring in. If Pookie is correct about him for sure wanting to split and as GM I had the same thought, I would quietly be listening to offers starting even now, and would offer straight up start a bidding war if there was another garbage playoffs.

 

[Sypher04]

I wouldn't assume anything regarding Matthew's future. It would be nice to keep him long term, but it would be nicer to win a cup.

No way I would let him walk and use him as "an own rental," when you consider the haul he would bring in. If Pookie is correct about him for sure wanting to split and as GM I had the same thought, I would quietly be listening to offers starting even now, and would offer straight up start a bidding war if there was another garbage playoffs.

pookie isn’t right. So don’t lose any sleep right now.

anyone who claims to know what Matthews is thinking is talking nonsense, plain and simple.

history tells us however the odds of Matthews staying far outweigh those of him leaving

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

I wouldn't assume anything regarding Matthew's future. It would be nice to keep him long term, but it would be nicer to win a cup.

No way I would let him walk and use him as "an own rental," when you consider the haul he would bring in. If Pookie is correct about him for sure wanting to split and as GM I had the same thought, I would quietly be listening to offers starting even now, and would offer straight up start a bidding war if there was another garbage playoffs.

I would start talking contract in January of the year he gets the NMC in July. See what he wants and work out the frame work of a deal. If he says he wants to wait until he hits UFA...then he is either going to take us for a lot more than he makes now or he is going to just up and leave.

I wouldn't take the chance of him leaving. Money is not really an object when it comes to signing him...we can pay more than any other team...so if he doesn't want to play ball...you have to make a decision. Why Dubas gave him everything he wanted (front loaded, 2nd highest deal in the league AND a NMC) in his final year before UFA is just plain stupid. He really thinks he is being their friend and they will repay him in some way down the road. Problem is...Dubas might not be the guy calling the shots in a couple of years and he will have no loyalty to the new GM.

 

[Stephen]

I think they'd have a pretty good sense of what he wants to do, whether it's staying in Toronto or pursue some other market. Money and cap doesn't bother me that much because Toronto's already committed almost $12 million in cap to Matthews and has a more or less competitive contender team. The next incremental raise on what he already makes isn't going to be that high proportionately to what another team will have to do to pay him $12 million + and then rebuild their whole roster around him. And we can give him 8 years.

I do think Toronto has a massive leg up on other markets given we're the biggest stage and he's the biggest star on it. Anecdotally, Matthews might be a bigger star/celebrity than McDavid himself, with access to the entertainment world beyond. Would that status have been achieved if his platform was the St. Louis Blues or Arizona Coyotes or Anaheim Ducks? I kind of doubt it.

The best course of action here is the Leafs keep taking steps in the regular season and playoffs and Matthews feels like this is his franchise. Success follows success, cap goes up, the new crop of talent matures and we can extend the window for another long while.

Jack Eichel is just too much of a health risk for the Leafs to take on at this time. I don't think you would sacrifice any of the Big 4 to get him. That's going to be some other team's risk.

 

[IPS]

pookie isn’t right. So don’t lose any sleep right now.

anyone who claims to know what Matthews is thinking is talking nonsense, plain and simple.

history tells us however the odds of Matthews staying far outweigh those of him leaving

It's completely irrelevant at this point in time as well. I can understand the talk picking up when Matthews is approaching his last year/NMC year but there's still another 2 seasons to go before any toxic discussions about that should start gaining any traction.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I wouldn't assume anything regarding Matthew's future. It would be nice to keep him long term, but it would be nicer to win a cup.

No way I would let him walk and use him as "an own rental," when you consider the haul he would bring in. If Pookie is correct about him for sure wanting to split and as GM I had the same thought, I would quietly be listening to offers starting even now, and would offer straight up start a bidding war if there was another garbage playoffs.

Rest easy my friend.

 

[Dekes For Days]

baseless is a funny term you like to use.
base 1. He has 3 years left on a deal
base 2. He becomes UFA at the end of it
base 3. He hasn’t signed an extension with us beyond the above

He literally can't sign an extension when he has 3 years left on his current deal. It's not allowed. There is no basis to make the claim you did, that he "isn’t going to be here long term". Even if he wasn't going to be here long term, that does not make trading him with 3 years left for a worse player with a career-threatening injury a good idea.

If anything, your assertion that he’s here to say has no basis beyond the 3 seasons he’s under contract to us for.

My only assertion was that he was "likely to re-sign afterwards". I did not pretend to know the future, like you did, but made a true statement on the likely outcome, supported by the history of players like him in that situation, and the way Matthews talks about Toronto and his future.

 

[Sypher04]

Also when the time eventually comes we will be the only team able to offer him the 8th year. If he’s gonna wanna cash in at say 12.5 or 13 per, he’d be wise to get that final year. As the odds are he won’t be a 12.5 to 13 million dollar player still in the final year of that 8 year contract. So he’d have to sign probably for 14+ anywhere else to even approach breaking even.

Nevermind there are few other franchises who can front load the bonuses in his deal like we can

 

[Legion34]

It’s absolutely possible that Matthews will want out in 3 years. Sure. It seems highly unlikely

1.) he wants to be astar in the league and beyond. Any time you are even decent on the leafs you are a top star. He is the cover of NHL 2 times in 3 years in Arizona?
Come on. His own building employees didn’t know who he was. Avis/hertz people at the airport don’t even know the coyotes are on the team.

2.) NYR and LA have access to amenities. But still 3rd class stars. The massive taxes in LA and NY and the enormous exodus of the populations have taken the shine off those roses. If Biden gets his new tax laws. He will have to pay even more than here.

3.) if Matthews leaves in 3 years. He won’t be the highest scoring leaf in history. He will be probably 100 goals off of mats. Why would he leave before setting an all time record in the most popular Franchise?

4.) bieber. He spends his life following bieber around. Talks about going to the studio. Bieber gets him access to the most popular stars in the world.

why would he give that up?

 

[nsleaf]

No to Eichel. Only reason he is available via trade is because he is injured. Too many questions surrounding his injury. Risk not worth the heavy price required to get him, be it Marner, or whomever Buffalo want.

 

[Pookie]

No to Eichel. Only reason he is available via trade is because he is injured. Too many questions surrounding his injury. Risk not worth the heavy price required to get him, be it Marner, or whomever Buffalo want.

Who says it’s Eichel straight up?

Eichel and 3 firsts? Eichel and Owen Power?

for the right deal, no one is untouchable.

 

[Omar23]

The longer Buffalo hangs onto Eichel, the more sense it may make for the Leafs should they continue to sputter and not find playoff success since inevitably the Leafs would need a core shake up. So Eichel could be the key piece in that type of shake up.

I'm still concerned about Eichel's attitude and how that would playing the Toronto market with the microscope on him.

Eichel was put into a toxic environment the minute Edmonton won the lottery. He was never really wanted in Buffalo. He started as plan B and things just snowballed from there. Buffalo is a trash organization and any player drafted there is doomed.

 

[mikeyz]

So we give up the better player. Who is heathy. No thanks

Marner is not better then Eichel. Lol.

 

[mikeyz]

Yes he is.

375

139

216

355

[TFOOT] [/TFOOT]

355

103

255

358

[TFOOT] [/TFOOT]

more points in less games. One is over a point per game player the other is not.

Let me ask you a question.

Hypothetically, If Marner got traded to the Sabres tomorrow for Eichel straight up, do you think he would put up a PPG numbers this season?

 

[Legion34]

Who says it’s Eichel straight up?

Eichel and 3 firsts? Eichel and Owen Power?

for the right deal, no one is untouchable.

the more likely scenario is to have Scotia bank the rom and rip let’s aquarium sponsor power for 5 million a year. He makes more money. Waits out His ELC and signs here as a ufa with money in his pocket

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Wouldn't be interested in Eichel. The guy has been a headache to his current team since the get-go.

 

[TorontoTrades]

He played with Bozak and Kadri as his center for half of his career.

And Kadri is probably better than anyone that's played with Eichel outside of 20 games with Hall.

 

[mikeyz]

He played with Bozak and Kadri as his center for half of his career.

And both of those guys are miles better then anyone Eichel has ever played with.

Edit: TorontoTrades. I just saw your post. Yes. I forgot he played with Hall for a quarter of a season. But, our point still stands.

 

[zeke]

Let me ask you a question.

Hypothetically, If Marner got traded to the Sabres tomorrow for Eichel straight up, do you think he would put up a PPG numbers this season?

Absolutely.

 

[ACC1224]

And both of those guys are miles better then anyone Eichel has ever played with.

Edit: TorontoTrades. I just saw your post. Yes. I forgot he played with Hall for a quarter of a season. But, our point still stands.

Why is playing with good players held against a player ?

 

[NastyKnies]

Marner is not better then Eichel. Lol.

I highly disagree.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Why is playing with good players held against a player ?

Who said it is?

 

[yubbers]

the player with the best return value who isn’t going to be here long term?

They really don't see the writing on the wall with Matthews. We're gonna be back to Carlyle era suck in no time.

 

[Pookie]

I do think Toronto has a massive leg up on other markets given we're the biggest stage and he's the biggest star on it. Anecdotally, Matthews might be a bigger star/celebrity than McDavid himself, with access to the entertainment world beyond. Would that status have been achieved if his platform was the St. Louis Blues or Arizona Coyotes or Anaheim Ducks? I kind of doubt it.

Sidney Crosby’s celebrity hasn’t suffered as a function of playing in small market Pittsburgh.