Imagine you owned this team, and it was your money, and your people came to you with:If they bring him back at a good price split up the 3. Mathews line, Nylander line and Marner (maybe sign dvo for him). Build 3 solid lines which would be a nightmare for other teams and create an identity.
I'm in favor of keeping Tavares as long as the price is right. Heck it would be great if he could pull a Giordano and do the Leafs a big favor and sign dirt cheap. Something like 3 million x 3 years or something along those lines. At the time when the Leafs signed him it was at or even slightly above market value, so maybe he has it in him to sign for abit cheaper than what he could get as a free agent or the maximum that he could get from the Leafs nearing the end of his career if he really wants to stay.I'm not saying that letting Tavares go is wrong, far from it, but what would you do to fill a center void this offseason? We already lack depth in that position and losing Tavares doesn't help that. We at least need to pretend to compete. So I'd be interested to hear what you and others have in mind there.
If we were a small market team where play-off revenue was tantamount then you would be happy with the status quo. In Toronto the goal is always to win the Stanley Cup and while this team is very good it is not a cup winning team. We have limited options for improving the team and the biggest one is the freed up cap space. Marner doesn't really play like a Berube system player so is the most logical subtraction. Who gives an RFA a NMC clause in the last year of their contract that walks them to UFA status?
That’s a guy knowing his worth is plummeting, nothing elseThis is the face of someone who cares. Don't let the organization or media sway u. Shanny is the one the needs to go.
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If they bring him back at a good price split up the 3. Mathews line, Nylander line and Marner (maybe sign dvo for him). Build 3 solid lines which would be a nightmare for other teams and create an identity.
In that scenario I would fire all the morons who came to me with that ideaImagine you owned this team, and it was your money, and your people came to you with:
'Ok, get this. Now, it's going to cost you $100M (irreversible unfortunately), but we could also try splitting the amigos and give Marner his own line. That might just work'.
I think my head would explode
You want to pay a playoff no show more (3 SOG in last 5 games!!) than $13.5m x 8 so you can make the playoffs and watch them choke in the playoffs for 1 to 8 more years? I thought we are trying to win the SC, not sell jerseys.The time to move Marner was after the Montreal series or before his NMC kicked in. At that time I used words like "get rid of the little puke" or worse. Do you really think we're going to replace a 100pt player with two 50pt players that have the same impact he does during the regular season? The key is what does he want...anything over 12.5 is a no go for me because it leaves you nothing to add pieces to the other lines that are needed.
As much as we need change to the core 5, the ones that should go are Tavares and Rielly. Rielly offers nothing in the regular season anymore and in the playoffs he's been a liability defensively on a level not seen since Gardner. With the rise in cap and the $20M savings on the these two, we should fill some of our needs.
The dummies at MLSEL have already offered him $108m and he refused to negotiate. Anybody think this puke and his ego are now going to accept less, because the Leafs are no longer offering that much, if anything.Imagine you owned this team, and it was your money, and your people came to you with:
'Ok, get this. Now, it's going to cost you $100M (irreversible unfortunately), but we could also try splitting the amigos and give Marner his own line. That might just work'.
I think my head would explode
Depends, are you here to sell jerseys or win the Stanley Cup? Luckily Mitch realizes his time is up in Toronto and is walking, saving the geniuses at MLSEL from shooting themselves in the face. Now it is possible that somebody has stepped in and told the Leafs brass that enough is enough and heads are going to roll (great song and you hate to see it).What good would happen if you bring the same band back. When the game gets tight checking the core disappears as fast as Thanos snap