JT is in a complicated spot right now. At this point, I'm as well aware as anyone about how it's just not working out and he's clearly not the player he once was. The struggles are real and prolonged, and that's very disappointing to see from a guy that we've committed 11m to.
But there's two major flaws that I see in the thinking of people when we're talking about JT.
The first is this notion that a team has to be as close to perfect as possible in the salary cap to see success. Guys, for the love of the hockey gods, banish this thought and it will make you so much happier. Obviously cap space is a critical resource that must be maximized. But if the f***ing Habs can go all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, and the Islanders + Canes can make yearly deep runs, I don't want to hear crying about every waylaid 2m crushing this team's dreams. It sure does stink that JT isn't playing like an 11m player any more, but that is not what has kept this team stuck in the 1st round. We didn't lose to Montreal and Columbus because they used their cap space better than us. The Bolts just won two Stanley Cups paying Tyler Johnston 5m for 7 playoff points a year. You want to have a great salary cap situation in today's NHL, but perfect is not a requirement. JT is overpaid. JT will not kill us.
The second is getting lost in comparing the player JT was to the player JT is. He's not an elite #1C any more and it's not likely he's going to suddenly find new speed at 30. But JT is still a defensively responsible PPG centre. JT the superstar is a dream and would make the Leafs unstoppable with Matthews, yes. But JT the actual hockey player today still gives us an elite one-two punch down the middle. JT the declining hockey player is still an extremely useful hockey player who we want as the 2c of the Maple Leafs. Y'all are talking about dumping him because he should be an 8m player, but there's no replacement coming and the futures cost of a replacement in a trade is worth far more than the 3m in cap. As for signing a UFA... I'm sure that would be a great cap move.
JT on the decline is still a damn good hockey player. The further he declines the less relevant this post will be, but I want to encourage people to walk back from the ledge a bit. Y'all are writing about how we're stuck with a PPG two way C as if that is actually a bad thing for our favourite hockey team. The cap is real and the decline is real, but all of this cap bullshit is about putting the best hockey team possible on the ice and JT is still a huge part of that. I agree that he's not getting traded any time soon, but the people who are looking to paint him as the scapegoat are not helping anyone. He'll deserve his share of the blame and the cap hit will be a part of it, but don't get overzealous.
I get it. He's at the top of my trade list too, but it's also something that I really think people shouldn't sweat nearly as much.
But there's two major flaws that I see in the thinking of people when we're talking about JT.
The first is this notion that a team has to be as close to perfect as possible in the salary cap to see success. Guys, for the love of the hockey gods, banish this thought and it will make you so much happier. Obviously cap space is a critical resource that must be maximized. But if the f***ing Habs can go all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, and the Islanders + Canes can make yearly deep runs, I don't want to hear crying about every waylaid 2m crushing this team's dreams. It sure does stink that JT isn't playing like an 11m player any more, but that is not what has kept this team stuck in the 1st round. We didn't lose to Montreal and Columbus because they used their cap space better than us. The Bolts just won two Stanley Cups paying Tyler Johnston 5m for 7 playoff points a year. You want to have a great salary cap situation in today's NHL, but perfect is not a requirement. JT is overpaid. JT will not kill us.
The second is getting lost in comparing the player JT was to the player JT is. He's not an elite #1C any more and it's not likely he's going to suddenly find new speed at 30. But JT is still a defensively responsible PPG centre. JT the superstar is a dream and would make the Leafs unstoppable with Matthews, yes. But JT the actual hockey player today still gives us an elite one-two punch down the middle. JT the declining hockey player is still an extremely useful hockey player who we want as the 2c of the Maple Leafs. Y'all are talking about dumping him because he should be an 8m player, but there's no replacement coming and the futures cost of a replacement in a trade is worth far more than the 3m in cap. As for signing a UFA... I'm sure that would be a great cap move.
JT on the decline is still a damn good hockey player. The further he declines the less relevant this post will be, but I want to encourage people to walk back from the ledge a bit. Y'all are writing about how we're stuck with a PPG two way C as if that is actually a bad thing for our favourite hockey team. The cap is real and the decline is real, but all of this cap bullshit is about putting the best hockey team possible on the ice and JT is still a huge part of that. I agree that he's not getting traded any time soon, but the people who are looking to paint him as the scapegoat are not helping anyone. He'll deserve his share of the blame and the cap hit will be a part of it, but don't get overzealous.
I get it. He's at the top of my trade list too, but it's also something that I really think people shouldn't sweat nearly as much.
