Rumor: Kypreos says Matthews will be 13.5M (Haggling over term)

[The Winter Soldier]

Everyone wants to tell us that comparing Matthews to McDavid or Draisaitl is disingenuous, so why are you doing it? It's a valid point. If you think he's in a tier below then compare him to the tier below.

The answer is obvious isn’t it? He is regarded in the Eichel, Draisaitl, Mackinnon tier of players in the NHL. I will agree the majority of Leafs fans are not delusional to believe he is at McDavid ‘s level despite few minor voices have tried to link them. What do these players all have in common they committed long term to their teams. They have also far surpassed Matthews in the playoffs when hockey matters most. When you want to be the highest paid player in hockey when you are not even the best player in hockey or have proven your mettle when it most counts, the criticism and the label of being a player more interested in money than winning is warranted to this point. Aho just committed to 8 years to Carolina. But here we are again, if reports are correct Matthews is pushing for every last cent without a 8 year commitment as players mentioned in this thread have shown to have committed to their teams. Then the label and criticism is warranted as well as the comparisons to other top players have shown. Commitment to their teams and not taking every last cent on the table because they want to win beyond anything else. Their records speak for themselves as Matthews records of mediocre stats and team results in the playoffs speak for themselves.

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

TLDR -- I'm not saying Matthews will definitely hit UFA, and even if he does, he still very well may re-sign in TOR (see Landy in Colorado). But I am saying that if he's not currently seeing a deal he likes, why not just wait a year, he'll get better deals when he hits UFA.

Leafs have absolutely no leverage with Matthews and to me it seems dumb to pretend otherwise

Agree with most of your post, especially that the Leafs have NO leverage.

With that said - if AM isn't resigned before the start of the season, the "atmoshere" around the Leaf's is going to be an absolute shyte-storm. I can't even imagine how big the circus would be.

 

[AslanRH]

ROR got much of the same critiques as Matthews is in this thread prior to and after the Buffalo contract was signed. He is now highly regarded as a multi-award and cup winner by many of the same folks who said he'd never win anything as long as he put his bank account first.

 

[Suntouchable13]

The answer is obvious isn’t it? He is regarded in the Eichel, Draisaitl, Mackinnon tier of players in the NHL. I will agree the majority of Leafs are not delusional to believe he is at McDavid ‘s level despite few minor voices have tried to link them. What do these players all have in common they committed long term to their teams. They have also far surpassed Matthews in the playoffs when hockey matters most. When you want to be the highest paid player in hockey when you are not even the best player in hockey or have proven your mettle when it most counts, the criticism and the label of being a player more interested in money than winning is warranted to this point. Aho just committed to 8 years to Carolina. But here we are again, if reports are correct Matthews is pushing for every last cent without a 8 year commitment as players mentioned in this thread have shown to have committed to their teams. Then the label and criticism is warranted as well as the comparisons to other top players have shown. Commitment to their teams and not taking every last cent on the table because they want to win beyond anything else. Their records speak for themselves as Matthews records of mediocre stats and team results in the playoffs speak for themselves.

I don’t get when fans fawn over Matthews. He doesn’t give a shit about the fans or the team, never has. Stop being suckers. He only cares about his status as the highest player in the NHL. He wants only that.

 

[KingsCourt]

13.5 x 3 (maybe 4)
then
16 x 8

this will bring him to about $200M career earnings

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I don’t get when fans fawn over Matthews. He doesn’t give a shit about the fans or the team, never has. Stop being suckers. He only cares about his status as the highest player in the NHL. He wants only that.

if he took 12.5 for 8 years and say to Nylander here I took less AAV and told Mgt use that money to sign you Nylander because what’s 1 more million in my pocket because I want to win here. Wouldn’t that send a big message to fans,Mgt, and his teammates to follow. I bet Marner is watching this one closely. Really goes back to Dubas and his weak negotiating. Give Matthews and his agent credit they should write a book on having a team over a barrel squeezing every last penny out of them.

 

[POVERTY]

The Leafs have only provided me with bad "do you remember where you were when..." memories, but I remember the night Dubas caved to Nylander's holdout. It made no sense to me at the time to not only cave while the Leafs were looking great, but to give him $7M per, setting the stage for Marner and Matthews' big deals. With Nylander at $7M why shouldn't Marner argue for $11M and Matthews for almost $12M?

Obviously with hindsight and in the current cap world, Nylander at $7M is great. But handing out those big deals have long-term consequences that the team is now having to deal with as players look for raises.

I usually look at Rantanen and Marner as comparables, same draft class, elite RWs. Rantanen put up 1.04 and 1.18 pts/game respectively in the 17-18 and 18-19 seasons. Marner put up 0.84 and 1.15. Marner gets rewarded with a 6 year $10.9M AAV deal, and two weeks later Rantanen signs for 6 years at $9.25M. A 15% discount for an arguably better player. Have to think MacKinnon making $6.3M made it a harder task for Rantanen to argue $10M+, unlike in Marner's situation.

 

[Boxscore]

It sounds like you're a leafs fan, would you pay him now with his requested term or let him walk to UFA? (or try to trade him knowing the return, if any, will be underwhelming given his NMC)

Tough question. As a fan, who isn't being paid millions of dollars to make the best of hard decisions, I'd love to say, "just trade him" but it's not that easy. If I were Treliving, I'd be asking myself these questions:

1. What is the max number (and least term) I feel we could pay Auston without being forced to move a key contributor like Willie or Mitch?

2. How would conceding to Matthews impact requests from Nylander and Marner? Knowing if they don't both cave, one or both would likely be cap casualties.

3. How would the team fare if Matthews ended up the only superstar and I had to surround him with depth instead of multiple high-end pieces?

4. Is Auston Matthews the type of person, leader, or personality who will sacrifice, scratch, claw, and bleed for a Cup? If he won't even sacrifice a few bucks, is he willing to sacrifice his health, quality of life, or mental discomfort to battle for Cups?

My quick answers to those questions are:

1. 13.25 x 6. Max.
2. Nylander may need to be traded immediately. If not, Marner will be this time next year.
3. Recipe for disaster. We saw this with Sundin for years.
4. If Matthews isn't willing to budge and give us a hometown discount, then I am convinced he's selfish, spoiled, and not the kind of leader who will sacrifice when the playoffs become nasty.

Then I would go to the MLSE board and tell them my thoughts and ask which they prioritize more: star power and gate receipts or a shot at winning a Cup?

Based on the answers from my bosses, I'd maneuver accordingly.

 

[SensFactor]

I think he get $13.5M x 5 years

 

[The90]

I don’t get when fans fawn over Matthews. He doesn’t give a shit about the fans or the team, never has. Stop being suckers. He only cares about his status as the highest player in the NHL. He wants only that.

The summer long tour of negativity must be exhausting

The Leafs have only provided me with bad "do you remember where you were when..." memories, but I remember the night Dubas caved to Nylander's holdout. It made no sense to me at the time to not only cave while the Leafs were looking great, but to give him $7M per, setting the stage for Marner and Matthews' big deals. With Nylander at $7M why shouldn't Marner argue for $11M and Matthews for almost $12M?

Obviously with hindsight and in the current cap world, Nylander at $7M is great. But handing out those big deals have long-term consequences that the team is now having to deal with as players look for raises.

I usually look at Rantanen and Marner as comparables, same draft class, elite RWs. Rantanen put up 1.04 and 1.18 pts/game respectively in the 17-18 and 18-19 seasons. Marner put up 0.84 and 1.15. Marner gets rewarded with a 6 year $10.9M AAV deal, and two weeks later Rantanen signs for 6 years at $9.25M. A 15% discount for an arguably better player. Have to think MacKinnon making $6.3M made it a harder task for Rantanen to argue $10M+, unlike in Marner's situation.

mackinnon was a 60 point player when he signed that contract. Apples to oranges. Same for the Marchand deal.

 

[centipede2233]

13.5 x 3 (maybe 4)
then
16 x 8

this will bring him to about $200M career earnings

The problem with signing matthews to a 3 yr extension is it’s my belief matthews wants to spend the back half of his career in Arizona. In 4 yrs time, Arizona’s financial situation with a new arena could be much better. Matthews Wants the 3 yrs not only as a stepp8ng stone to a higher AAV, but to then play in Arizona in 4 yrs time.

 

[PainForShane]

Tough question. As a fan, who isn't being paid millions of dollars to make the best of hard decisions, I'd love to say, "just trade him" but it's not that easy. If I were Treliving, I'd be asking myself these questions:

1. What is the max number (and least term) I feel we could pay Auston without being forced to move a key contributor like Willie or Mitch?

2. How would conceding to Matthews impact requests from Nylander and Marner? Knowing if they don't both cave, one or both would likely be cap casualties.

3. How would the team fare if Matthews ended up the only superstar and I had to surround him with depth instead of multiple high-end pieces?

4. Is Auston Matthews the type of person, leader, or personality who will sacrifice, scratch, claw, and bleed for a Cup? If he won't even sacrifice a few bucks, is he willing to sacrifice his health, quality of life, or mental discomfort to battle for Cups?

My quick answers to those questions are:

1. 13.25 x 6. Max.
2. Nylander may need to be traded immediately. If not, Marner will be this time next year.
3. Recipe for disaster. We saw this with Sundin for years.
4. If Matthews isn't willing to budge and give us a hometown discount, then I am convinced he's selfish, spoiled, and not the kind of leader who will sacrifice when the playoffs become nasty.

Then I would go to the MLSE board and tell them my thoughts and ask which they prioritize more: star power and gate receipts or a shot at winning a Cup?

Based on the answers from my bosses, I'd maneuver accordingly.

Oooh, great post. Thx for the insight.

A few things:

1) After a decent look at the cap situation, Leafs have a LOT of highly paid players about to hit UFA next summer ie flexibility. Guys like Brodie, Bertuzzi, Nylander, Klingberg etc, tens of millions in contracts. So... I think Tre will look at like, "ok we have a bunch of guys playing here let's see who I actually want as part of the team going forward" and I would not be surprised at ALL if he chose someone like Bertuzzi at 6-7m over Willie at 9 or 10, for example, or if they found a Luke Schenn - type defenseman for 2-3 mil (even 3-4 mil) and let both Brodie and Klingberg walk. Anyway the point is Leafs have flexibility next summer... and also with the cap projected to go up 4-4.5m, I honestly don't know what the max number for Matthews / Marner would be, but I suspect something around 14-15m for each, esp depending on the other roster decisions (ie Bertuzzi over Willie would mean lower cap hit). I honestly don't know what that number is though. Could be 13.25, could be more, who knows.

This is also dependent on how everyone plays this year and who the team ends up deciding to keep.

2) Also, the thing I just realized is that all of the fans are complaining that the core has been great during the reg season but has continuously underperformed when it matters most. Well, isn't that on the coach? Yes, it is on the coach -- on a normal team, Keefe would have already been fired. So why is coach Keefe getting a pass and everyone's like, "TRADE MARNER! TRADE MATTHEWS!" First step is to fire the coach and see how the players play under someone who's actually won something (like Lavi oops too bad). But, Quenneville is still available.

I think the first thing I would ask my bosses is something around coach Q. Not sure how much time is enough time, but if Babcock can coach again...

***

You said, "If Matthews isn't willing to budge and give us a hometown discount, then I am convinced he's selfish, spoiled, and not the kind of leader who will sacrifice when the playoffs become nasty."

That's an interesting take, probably a good one. However on the ice he is definitely a good player -- most blocked shots of any forward in the league (?), legitimate 200 ft game, and also he scores. On the ice, he's amazing.

But, also greedy -- or at least inarguably greedier than some other superstars (Bergeron played for 2.5m this last year).

***

I guess the question is... in a cap league, can you win with greedy players who also are good at hockey? I think that's the question here. Thx for the previous detailed response, much appreciated

 

[KrisLetAngry]

But, also greedy -- or at least inarguably greedier than some other superstars (Bergeron played for 2.5m this last year).

***

I guess the question is... in a cap league, can you win with greedy players who also are good at hockey? I think that's the question here. Thx for the previous detailed response, much appreciated

Did Bergeron play for less than he could have been paid? Yes

However he was able to sign a contract where he could split his cap hit into 2 seasons.

Let's just be clear Bruins have a 2.5 million dollar cap hit from Bergeron from bonuses next year.

 

[hamzarocks]

The answer is obvious isn’t it? He is regarded in the Eichel, Draisaitl, Mackinnon tier of players in the NHL. I will agree the majority of Leafs fans are not delusional to believe he is at McDavid ‘s level despite few minor voices have tried to link them. What do these players all have in common they committed long term to their teams. They have also far surpassed Matthews in the playoffs when hockey matters most. When you want to be the highest paid player in hockey when you are not even the best player in hockey or have proven your mettle when it most counts, the criticism and the label of being a player more interested in money than winning is warranted to this point. Aho just committed to 8 years to Carolina. But here we are again, if reports are correct Matthews is pushing for every last cent without a 8 year commitment as players mentioned in this thread have shown to have committed to their teams. Then the label and criticism is warranted as well as the comparisons to other top players have shown. Commitment to their teams and not taking every last cent on the table because they want to win beyond anything else. Their records speak for themselves as Matthews records of mediocre stats and team results in the playoffs speak for themselves.

Eichel doesnt belong in that tier

One great playoff show case does not erase 3 years whee Eichel plummeted down vs Matthews who excelled

Eichel needs to bounce back heavy next year in the reg season and show he can continue to dominate come playoffs

Mack and Drai blow Matthews out of the water.

Hughes is a name which may pass Matthews next year

Eichel was a middle road 1C he wasnt dominant like Mcdavid, Mack, Draisaitl, (even point 2020) were

 

[Divine]

Matthews measuring stick is not Nylander though. It should be the players below, If he gets paid at 13.5M+ per for anything less than a max term based partly on his playoff record. Getting 13.5M+ would be bending over to him and his agent again. He would have milked the Leafs every last cent a second consecutive negotiations. For a caphit of 13.5M+ 8 years is at minimum the acceptable term. Otherwise the optics are he is just playing hockey for the money, and regular season stats, and not when it counts the most, the playoffs.

Eichel first playoffs, 22 GP, 26 points, and wins a Stanley Cup.
McDavid 49GP, 75 points.
Mackinnon 77GP, 100 points, Stanley Cup
Draisaitl 49GP, 77 points
Matthews, 50GP, 44 points

You're only using players with better players on the team. You're setting the bar that Matthews has to carry the team to a Stanley Cup, yet none of the players on your list have a Conn Smythe.

Eichel's first playoff is the weirdest example you're using. Eichel's 'first playoffs' he was a year older than Matthews is currently. So basically you're punishing Matthews for his early success. He would benefit from not taking a weaker team to the playoffs in your judgement. Eichel joined a team that went to the SCF and added Stone, Petrangelo and Eichel AFTER going to the SCF. Giving Eichel credit for a team that already went the Cup and then he joined them after they already stacked up is the same as if Matthews joined Vegas this year and won the Cup.

McDavid - same thing as Matthews. He continually gets outplayed by Draisaitl in the playoffs despite being the better player. The same thing you're criticizing Matthews for - even though Matthews has led his team in playoff scoring as much as McDavid.

Mackinnon - Great player, however he needed Makar to carry him to the cup. Makar scored 5 more points than him as a defenseman. There's no cup without Conn Smythe winner Makar on his team. The Leafs would love to trade Rielly for Makar.

Draisaitl - He's the one player on this list that is the teams best player in their playoffs. Similar to Matthews though, he has no Cup. Unlike Matthews, he plays with a regular Art Ross winner.

 

[mkatcherin00]

As a neutral I would be very surprised if Edm doesn't lock up McDavid to some absurd contract the first day they're allowed to. McDavid is the best player in the world, he plays exciting hockey, elevates in the playoffs, puts butts in seats, you don't let those players go.

***

Also as an aside, most ppl here are forgetting that Matthews has all the leverage. Full NMC that has already kicked in, UFA next summer, you can't trade him unless he agrees to it (doubtful). I'm sure he's also thinking (probably correctly) that he'll get more than 13.5m next summer when the cap goes up, so from his perspective he's leaving money on the table just by considering an extension now. In other words if for whatever reason he doesn't like the deal Leafs are offering, why not just wait a year he'll almost certainly get multiple better deals from everyone including the Leafs.

And then he can decide for himself whether he wants to stay in Toronto or go somewhere like Vegas or Boston who, unlike Toronto actually has a history and culture of winning -- looking a bit further these are both realistic scenarios bc Boston has cap space if they trade one of Zacha / Coyle while not re-signing their 5th defenseman (both doable), Vegas can make something work if they put Stone on LTIR (also doable depending on Stone's back). At this point, it's not too crazy to think both teams (as well as others) would make a pitch for him, if they do it's not too crazy to think maybe Matthews might end up on any number of teams.

***

TLDR -- I'm not saying Matthews will definitely hit UFA, and even if he does, he still very well may re-sign in TOR (see Landy in Colorado). But I am saying that if he's not currently seeing a deal he likes, why not just wait a year, he'll get better deals when he hits UFA.

Leafs have absolutely no leverage with Matthews and to me it seems dumb to pretend otherwise

This 100%. The Leafs have to give him whatever he wants. He holds all of the cards. If he doesn't like it, some GM is going to give him what he wants in a year

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

I think he get $13.5M x 5 years

That would take him until he's 31, correct? I think he'll try a shorter deal because he's likely to want a max contract and I think that is possible from 29-37 but less likely from 31-39.

 

[dirtydanglez]

the leafs did this to themselves

 

[ponder]

As a neutral I would be very surprised if Edm doesn't lock up McDavid to some absurd contract the first day they're allowed to. McDavid is the best player in the world, he plays exciting hockey, elevates in the playoffs, puts butts in seats, you don't let those players go.

***

Also as an aside, most ppl here are forgetting that Matthews has all the leverage. Full NMC that has already kicked in, UFA next summer, you can't trade him unless he agrees to it (doubtful). I'm sure he's also thinking (probably correctly) that he'll get more than 13.5m next summer when the cap goes up, so from his perspective he's leaving money on the table just by considering an extension now. In other words if for whatever reason he doesn't like the deal Leafs are offering, why not just wait a year he'll almost certainly get multiple better deals from everyone including the Leafs.

And then he can decide for himself whether he wants to stay in Toronto or go somewhere like Vegas or Boston who, unlike Toronto actually has a history and culture of winning -- looking a bit further these are both realistic scenarios bc Boston has cap space if they trade one of Zacha / Coyle while not re-signing their 5th defenseman (both doable), Vegas can make something work if they put Stone on LTIR (also doable depending on Stone's back). At this point, it's not too crazy to think both teams (as well as others) would make a pitch for him, if they do it's not too crazy to think maybe Matthews might end up on any number of teams.

***

TLDR -- I'm not saying Matthews will definitely hit UFA, and even if he does, he still very well may re-sign in TOR (see Landy in Colorado). But I am saying that if he's not currently seeing a deal he likes, why not just wait a year, he'll get better deals when he hits UFA.

Leafs have absolutely no leverage with Matthews and to me it seems dumb to pretend otherwise

I'm a Leafs fan and 100% agree - Matthews holds all the cards, the only reasonable option we have is to re-sign him, more or less regardless of his asking price. We have no leverage, and can only hope he values winning in Toronto.

With that being said, we gave ridiculous RFA deals to both him and Marner (when they didn't hold all the cards, terrible negotiation by Dubas). He's seen first hand how hard it is to build a true contender when he and Marner squeeze every possible penny out of the team. You'd hope he and Marner could say "we're insanely rich no matter what, lets give a small discount to get strong shots at a cup" - they could become absolute hockey legends by ending the Leafs drought, and being heroes has to mean something to these guys. But, yeah, if he decides "nah, give me every penny, and I'll stick with long shots at the cup", then there's little we can do but match his demands. Letting him walk would undoubtably be worse.

If Matthews/Marner/Nylander come in around $12 mil, $10.5 mil and $8.5 mil, we'd have a real shot to build a cup winner around them as the cap rises. For most any other teams/players, these wouldn't even be seen as overly team friendly deals:
- Would make Matthews the 3rd highest paid centre in the league (behind $12.6 MacKinnon and $12.5 McDavid, both better players)
- Would make Marner the 3rd highest paid winger in the league (behind $11.6 Panarin and $11.25 Pasta)
- Would make Nylander the 16th highest paid winger in the league

But if they squeeze every penny, and come in around $13.5 mil (highest paid player in the league by far), $12 mil (highest paid winger) and $10 mil (5th highest paid winger), it'll be more of the same, too many weaknesses due to lack of $$$, likely out in the first round or two every year. Hopefully they can see this, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[PainForShane]

Did Bergeron play for less than he could have been paid? Yes

However he was able to sign a contract where he could split his cap hit into 2 seasons.

Let's just be clear Bruins have a 2.5 million dollar cap hit from Bergeron from bonuses next year.

EDIT: KrisLetAngry is 100% right about this. Heartfelt thx for the correction

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

I guess the question is... in a cap league, can you win with greedy players who also are good at hockey? I think that's the question here. Thx for the previous detailed response, much appreciated

I think this is a great question. My take is that the Leafs are challenged by having 3 of those type of players (and two of them wingers) on the team at the same time.


Separate question - what does AM have to do in the play-off's to justify a 13.5M contract?

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

It's fair to raise bonuses (and I hadn't considered them, thank you for pointing it out), but as far as I understand it your bolded is wrong bc that's not how performance bonuses work. Performance bonuses don't split your cap hit into two seasons.

Last year Berg signed a contract for 2.5m and another 2.5m in performance bonuses (which I didn't know, thx again). But, you're allowed to go over the cap by 7.5% of total cap due to performance bonuses, Berg's bonuses fell into that bucket which is in addition to the normal cap (also in the same season as the contract). So, Bruins paid Berg 2.5m in signing bonus / salary and another 2.5m in perf bonus last year (not this year) and it was fine, this year he's not on their cap at all. You can verify this by looking at capfriendly which doesn't show Bergeron anywhere on there, his contract last year didn't give the Bruins any kind of cap penalty this season.

Either way Bergeron played for the Bruins last year at an AAV of 2.5m (total comp 5m), we both agree (as do most others) he took some sort of a discount

***

Full Capfriendly explanation of performance bonuses at NHL CBA FAQ - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

Relevant part (in-line bolding mine):

"What is a Performance Bonus?​

A Performance Bonus can be given to a player in addition to their salary. Performance bonuses are only paid to the player if they meet the requirements as defined by the bonus. Performance bonuses count against the salary cap; however, a team can exceed the salary cap due to performance bonuses by the maximum performance bonus cushion amount of 7.5 percent of the upper limit. Not all players are eligible for Performance Bonuses, and to receive a bonus within their contract, a player must meet one of the following criteria:

1. The player is on an entry-level contract.
2. The player has signed a one-year contract and is over 35 years old.
3. The player has signed a one-year contract after returning from a long-term injury (has played 400 or more games, and spent 100 or more days on the Injured Reserve in the last year of their most recent contract)."

Shane - while you're able to exceed by 7.5%, if those bonuses are ultimately earned by the player and the team was at the salary cap limit, the "overage" is counted against the next years cap. The Bruins have 4.5M of "dead cap" this year because both Bergeron and Krejci obtained their bonuses last year.

2 quick examples, with the cap at $80M, and 5M of bonuses earned.
1) Team's salary was $74M. Bonuses get layered on (74+5=79M), with total salary being less than the cap - so no carry over.
2) Team's salary was $79M. Bonuses get layered on (79+5=84M), with total salary being less over the cap - so $4M (84M total salary - 80M cap) gets carried over to the next year.

 

[PainForShane]

I think this is a great question. My take is that the Leafs are challenged by having 3 of those type of players (and two of them wingers) on the team at the same time.


Separate question - what does AM have to do in the play-off's to justify a 13.5M contract?

You know, I think my take as a neutral is that it's a combination of coaching and something in the room, and a lot of that has to do with personalities, not really cap hit or greed or anything like that. Like... if Leafs had Cooper as a head coach this whole time rather than Keefe, maybe they don't win a cup, but I think they definitely go on a few runs. Remember Tampa and that embarrassing CBJ sweep (and the Kenan Thompson joke at the NHL awards), after that Tampa was like, "f*** this" and started winning cups. Same core players but they played completely differently.

Re: AM... I think at anything above 11m or so (which he will surely get), I think he has to play well in the playoffs most years and lead his team on a few runs, at least to the ECF a couple of years depending on how long the contract is. He doesn't even have to be THE leader, if he does what MacK did that one year Makar won the Conn Smythe that is more than good enough.

Problem is so far he has a history of not being dominant, if you're being paid as one of the highest paid players in the league, you need to consistently be one of the best players when it matters most. Still plenty of time to turn it around

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

The Leafs have only provided me with bad "do you remember where you were when..." memories, but I remember the night Dubas caved to Nylander's holdout. It made no sense to me at the time to not only cave while the Leafs were looking great, but to give him $7M per, setting the stage for Marner and Matthews' big deals. With Nylander at $7M why shouldn't Marner argue for $11M and Matthews for almost $12M?

Obviously with hindsight and in the current cap world, Nylander at $7M is great. But handing out those big deals have long-term consequences that the team is now having to deal with as players look for raises.

I usually look at Rantanen and Marner as comparables, same draft class, elite RWs. Rantanen put up 1.04 and 1.18 pts/game respectively in the 17-18 and 18-19 seasons. Marner put up 0.84 and 1.15. Marner gets rewarded with a 6 year $10.9M AAV deal, and two weeks later Rantanen signs for 6 years at $9.25M. A 15% discount for an arguably better player. Have to think MacKinnon making $6.3M made it a harder task for Rantanen to argue $10M+, unlike in Marner's situation.

It was actually Nylander that caved . He wanted the Drai contract essentially ( 8 plus ) but called Dubas just prior to the deadline to get it done . .

 

[Sempiternal]

I personally think 13.5M is a little low. Should be going for 15M. Top NHLers don't get paid enough.