I have never changed my view on Matthews' contract from the day it was signed. You can go back through my posts to see.
These are my posts from that day:
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It is a bad deal."
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It's a bad deal. I don't think that Dubas had a choice. Offer sheets were going to come, despite what people on here think. None of Nylander, Matthews or Marner had/have any interest in signing a team friendly deal. You can ask why that is, but regardless it is reality. On the other hand, McDavid left money on the table to create a winning team, and we have all seen how that has worked out.
The next question is can Marner be signed for anything reasonable? My position is no - I think he will be more difficult to deal with."
"Interesting to note that
the Pens won zero Cups when both Malkin and Crosby were under those big cap hits, but won the Cup the year before Malkin's contract, and won 2 Cups in the couple years after Malkin and Crosby signed third contracts for lower cap hits."
"
Would you have thought that was a good deal last summer? Because I don't remember anyone thinking 11.6+ over 5 years was a good deal. I don't even remember anyone thinking that 11.6+ over 8 was a good deal. I think that it was the only deal that could be made. If not, he would have waited for an OS, and undoubtedly would have received an OS of at least that much. So it was a deal of necessity, but it is still bad."
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I would have been fine with the Leafs holding firm and accepting that they would probably lose him on an OS. However, I am sure that the Leafs crunched the numbers and decided it was better for their bottom line financially to have Matthews in the lineup than having him take an OS."
Doesn't matter what I feel. The Leafs felt that Matthews was worth signing for 11.6x5. Felt so strongly enough that they agreed to it without a fight. They don't think Marner is worth what you think he is worth. You can say they are wrong, but that doesn't make it any less reality.
