End of Season Pressers (Monday May 15)

[Fogelhund]

His shooting rate dropped over 31%, from the prior two years. 12% in the regular season, 10.2% in the playoffs. The prior two years average was 17.8%.

There is clearly something wrong with him physically. I think we all saw that, all season long... his shot just wasn't as dangerous, and wasn't as accurate. At some point, that's a chronic issue. Still, nobody in the media asking the hard questions about this.

Moving forward, how much is he worth, as an average shooter, who doesn't push through in the playoffs? Which Matthews would we get going forward? I certainly wouldn't be proposing any raise, that much is for sure.

 

[A1LeafNation]

He owned it in his presser and said he wasn’t injured.

He was definitely injured imo. Limping around on his leg and broken finger too I think I heard.

 

[IPS]

O’Reilly dad tweeted basically a good bye message to leafs fans . He’s 100% gone.

Were people actually thinking he was going to re-sign?

As if we don't have some of the most high-profile UFA signings coming up and O'Reilly being 33 years old and at an age where players look for that "retirement" contract?

Dubas blew another 1st on another failure, that's all there is to it.

 

[theTTC]

We have multiple posters in this thread complaining about what the players are saying in these pressers. I wonder how those posters would answer similar questions if they were part of a team (sports, business, whatever) that underperformed (to some) in their year.

Pay me an $11M salary and I'll show you. Over the years and jobs, I've earned between $20K and $90k and been subjected to far harsher expectations and dressing-downs than these entitled bozos.

 

[TMLisSRYinGerman]

My intention is to be here...for a **** ton of money.

Sorry but that's BS - he'll get the same money or even more somewhere else.

 

[DarkKnight]

It’s hilarious to me that anybody actually believes 34 entertains for one minute moving to that tire fire outpost going nowhere franchise just because he’s from there? If he did go, he’s the absolute biggest candy ass loser we’ve ever seen. Matthews is never going to Arizona.

 

[Tak7]

Have you noticed the Leafs center depth if they lose Mathews ? Tavares should be on the wing as early as next year.

He should have been on the wing this year.

He was struggling to drive play at ES last season

 

[IPS]

Barf.

You don't like having franchise centers on your team?

 

[notbias]

At a game level......sure that happens.

Over a playoff series, the better team almost always wins.

I think there was an article where it was something like it takes a 51-game playoff series in the NHL to equal a 7-game NBA series.

I am not sure the better team won in the Boston series or the Tampa series this year, didn't watch enough of the other series to make calls on them, but hockey is the most random of the major sports, by far.

 

[DarkKnight]

He was definitely injured imo. Limping around on his leg and broken finger too I think I heard.

No he wasn’t, he said he wasn’t and the finger was fine.

 

[Throw More Waffles]

We have multiple posters in this thread complaining about what the players are saying in these pressers. I wonder how those posters would answer similar questions if they were part of a team (sports, business, whatever) that underperformed (to some) in their year.

Nobody's complaining about ROR who said flat out that he wasn't good enough and it's partly on him.

 

[1specter]

It’s hilarious to me that anybody actually believes 34 entertains for one minute going to that tire fire outpost going nowhere franchise just because he’s from there? If he did go, he’s the absolute biggest candy ass loser we’ve ever seen. Matthews is never going to Arizona.

If he was gonna go anywhere else LA would make the most sense to be honest.

 

[leafan11]

No he wasn’t, he said he wasn’t and the finger was fine.

You think a pending UFA wants to broadcast all his injuries to the media ?

 

[LeafLoyalist]

This group...'We are all friends and tight', maybe that is a problem, too much focus on the social side of this, you all have a job to do, there is being a tight knit group but that can overshadow the task at hand. That's all i hear from each of the players, i want to spend time with my friends, we are close, but damn man, you guys are getting paid millions to win not to have social time together. A little bit of competitiveness and work ethic should be the priority, is this what it's all about for this group.

 

[DarkKnight]

You think a pending UFA wants to broadcast all his injuries to the media ?

You people live in your own worlds, he was fine. Lol.

 

[Bomber0104]

You don't like having franchise centers on your team?

The idea of negotiating, sorry, caving to any/all demands from said franchise center induces a sickly feeling in my stomach, yes.

$11.63 got us 1 playoff round win in the 4 years at that cap-hit, thus far.

 

[1specter]

No he wasn’t, he said he wasn’t and the finger was fine.

To be honest ROR strikes me as the type of guy who wouldn't want to pull the injury card. He's also about to hit UFA so maybe he doesn't wanna scare teams off. From what multiple reporters said though he was seen limping around after the first round off the ice.

 

[Tak7]

You don't like having franchise centers on your team?

As angry / upset / deflated as people are at Auston Matthews, the reality is players like him don't grow up trees. Genuine superstar.

An entire generation of fans watched Mats Sundin basically carry a team on his own, leave, and then suffer with watching a team without a genuine superstar.

Now we have, potentially, 2 in Matthews and Marner. You don't generally give those players up once you have them, because the second you do, is the second you spend all your time / resources trying to acquire them.

 

[Da Mash]

Looked slower and less engaged.
You have to take advantage when teams put 4th liners against you.

I have a feeling something else is bothering him. Seemed different.

 

[DarkKnight]

If he was gonna go anywhere else LA would make the most sense to be honest.

Sure but Arizona is the most laughable contention I’ve heard.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

His point was - if you refused to watch the actual playoff games, why are you bothering to hang around in the post-season press conference thread? Seems a bit backwards, no?

I don't know. Why are you and dark knight trolling me on this? Who gives a f***? I'm not sitting and watching 33 hours of leaf playoffs. I'm just checking in to see who might be getting fired today. If you are watching all the 33 hours of Leafs playoff hockey and I'm not, then what's it to you?

 

[egd27]

I'm sure this is different though

 

[Tak7]

If you're looking for big picture takeaways from today so far: Players are giving Kyle Dubas a vote of confidence, potentially pressuring the organization to get that extension over the line.

 

[1specter]

Sure but Arizona is the most laughable contention I’ve heard.

Agreed, Matthews isn't gonna play for a poverty franchise.

 

[DarkKnight]

To be honest ROR strikes me as the type of guy who wouldn't want to pull the injury card. He's also about to hit UFA so maybe he doesn't wanna scare teams off. From what multiple reporters said though he was seen limping around after the first round off the ice.

He‘s a straight shooter, I take him at his word. His skating looked normal to me too.