Player Discussion Mitch Marner, Continued

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Leafs are an average offensive team and top 3 in goals against so of course the way forward is to drop Marner to sign more defensemen!

Damn, if our offense is middling I hope we're not spending too much of our cap on wingers

 

[Dekes For Days]

Try and be more positive. Lol Overpaying Mitch does not improve this team at all

I am positive. I trust that the Leafs will re-sign Marner. I'm also positive that people around here have no clue what proper compensation looks like.
Paying Marner what he's earned helps the team more than losing him and overpaying mid-tier UFA defensemen that we don't need.

 

[Hallonbroder]

Overpaying anyone doesn't help.

You keep saying this in some kind of defence of Marner, which is interesting. Before Nylanders new deal, he made 6,9 for some years, being their best playoff performers. Now, he got paid because he had delivered (at least delivered some kind of positives in the playoffs). Marner have been paid much more than Nylander for years, 4 mil more even, and have had some more assists and some really bad playoffs to show for it - why the solution be to pay him even more?

 

[TheDoldrums]

Damn, if our offense is middling I hope we're not spending too much of our cap on wingers

perhaps the takeaway is with this defensive coach they have been able to put together an elite goal prevention team without spending big on goalies or defensemen. And we have 4 defenseman locked up long-term already so there isn't really any space to add big salaries there anyways. So yeah, you spend on offense, obviously.

 

[Hallonbroder]

I am positive. I trust that the Leafs will re-sign Marner. I'm also positive that people around here have no clue what proper compensation looks like.
Paying Marner what he's earned helps the team more than losing him and overpaying mid-tier UFA defensemen that we don't need.

…how did he earn this, though?…

 

[Dekes For Days]

…how did he earn this, though?…

With his play.

 

[notbias]

You keep saying this in some kind of defence of Marner, which is interesting. Before Nylanders new deal, he made 6,9 for some years, being their best playoff performers. Now, he got paid because he had delivered (at least delivered some kind of positives in the playoffs). Marner have been paid much more than Nylander for years, 4 mil more even, and have had some more assists and some really bad playoffs to show for it - why the solution be to pay him even more?

Which years has Nylander been the best playoff performer?

It may shock you how few years it's been since he has been talked about like some playoff god here to bring down Marner.

 

[Maple Leaf]

This core can’t get it done in the playoffs time to make a real splash

I am positive. I trust that the Leafs will re-sign Marner. I'm also positive that people around here have no clue what proper compensation looks like.
Paying Marner what he's earned helps the team more than losing him and overpaying mid-tier UFA defensemen that we don't need.

Marner will go limp as usual when the game is tight you guys can keep recording the regular season stats for the next decade

 

[ACC1224]

You keep saying this in some kind of defence of Marner, which is interesting. Before Nylanders new deal, he made 6,9 for some years, being their best playoff performers. Now, he got paid because he had delivered (at least delivered some kind of positives in the playoffs). Marner have been paid much more than Nylander for years, 4 mil more even, and have had some more assists and some really bad playoffs to show for it - why the solution be to pay him even more?

Being paid more is on the GM not the Player. He was willing to take much less the season prior.
Even if he takes the same cap % he'll get more. There's nothing to indicate they don't value the player so I wouldn't expect any pay cut.

 

[Mess]

Being paid more is on the GM not the Player. He was willing to take much less the season prior.
Even if he takes the same cap % he'll get more. There's nothing to indicate they don't value the player so I wouldn't expect any pay cut.

Do you believe Marner is 1 of the best top 10 players in the game?

Marner has and is being paid currently and has for the past 5 years as one of the top 10 highest paid players in the game.

A clueless former Leafs GM gave him that deal when he could have gotten Marner for nearly $2.5 mil less (@ approx $8.5 mil) and gotten more term, had he signed him a year prior and before Matthews.

Agreed its not Marner's fault that Leafs got played by deploying a greenhorn GM, but does our current GM need to fix/adjust that error or double down on it seems to be the question on the table?

 

[ULF_55]

Be surprised if they'd pay him the same as someone who is Top 2 in goals scoring the last 5 years.

He's definitely one of the best wingers in the league, but from 2020-2021 to-date he's 40th. in goals. Draisaitl is 2nd. Points over the same period, Draisaitl is 2nd, and is a center who has taken 4th. most face-offs at a 55.2% rate.

Now, if someone has a shooter, and are looking for the setup man, marner could be that.

I think he gets his best offer from the Leafs.

 

[ACC1224]

Do you believe Marner is 1 of the best top 10 players in the game?

Marner has and is being paid currently and has for the past 5 years as one of the top 10 highest paid players in the game.

A clueless former Leafs GM gave him that deal when he could have gotten Marner for nearly $2.5 mil less (@ approx $8.5 mil) and gotten more term, had he signed him a year prior and before Matthews.

Agreed its not Marner's fault that Leafs got played by deploying a greenhorn GM, but does our current GM need to fix/adjust that error or double down on it seems to be the question on the table?

No, do you believe Nylander is?

 

[francis246]

Lol @Marner asking for $14m.

I send him on his way and go hard for UFAs Bennet and Ekblad.

Those guys make us better and more balanced than Marner, regardless of what Marner does or doesn’t do in the playoffs.

For a guy who says how much he loves playing in his hometown and wants to stay, his contract negotiation history points in the opposite direction.

Ekblad will command at least 9 million. Bennett will get 7, he’s better than Chandler Stephenson IMO. So I don’t think we can afford both and honestly, why do we want Ekblad? He’s 30 years old and suffers a major injury every year.

 

[Hallonbroder]

With his play.

So you actually don’t give a damn if your top players perform, or are even built, for when it matters? :O

 

[francis246]

I think we have to accept that a lot of this is on Shanahan. 2 years ago instead of dealing with these contracts when Nylander and Marner didn’t have full NMC’s, he and Dubas were in a dick measuring contest. The focus should have been on moving one of those two for assets and using that cap space in the last two UFA’s where the pools were way stronger.

Now we are in a situation where the leafs don’t really have the flexibility to make a move without trying to convince someone to waive and it’s going to be a hard sell to let a player of Marner’s calibre walk for free when it’s a weak UFA class. Shanahan’s handling of this situation has been nothing short of a disaster. As a leaf fan if they wanted to trade Marner 2 years ago I don’t think I would have had any issue with that. Now you’re telling me that we should let one of our better offensive guys go to sign more defense and that will fix our playoff scoring issues?

 

[ToneDog]

Ekblad will command at least 9 million. Bennett will get 7, he’s better than Chandler Stephenson IMO. So I don’t think we can afford both and honestly, why do we want Ekblad? He’s 30 years old and suffers a major injury every year.

Bennett @ $7m + $6m in cap space or Marner @ $13m?

 

[francis246]

Bennett @ $7m + $6m in cap space or Marner @ $13m?

That’s a pass for me, personally. I don’t want Sam Bennett after like year 2 of that deal. It’s going to be a brutal contract. He isn’t the most fleet of foot. He’s never scored 30 goals in his NHL career. He’s a good player but is he gonna be the saviour? Honestly I just wish we traded Marner 2 years ago or after Montreal for someone younger and used our cap space then.

 

[Dekes For Days]

So you actually don’t give a damn if your top players perform, or are even built, for when it matters? :O

Of course I do. You're just wrong about both when it comes to Marner.

 

[AvroArrow]

Bennett @ $7m + $6m in cap space or Marner @ $13m?

Bennett has never cracked 50 points, he's a decent player but not even close. If he was actually officiated properly he would have been suspended multiple times in the playoffs.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Bennett has never cracked 50 points, he's a decent player but not even close. If he was actually officiated properly he would have been suspended multiple times in the playoffs.

It is like when the refs let the bruins get away with everything or else the entire game would be the bruins in the box

 

[Hallonbroder]

I think we have to accept that a lot of this is on Shanahan. 2 years ago instead of dealing with these contracts when Nylander and Marner didn’t have full NMC’s, he and Dubas were in a dick measuring contest. The focus should have been on moving one of those two for assets and using that cap space in the last two UFA’s where the pools were way stronger.

Now we are in a situation where the leafs don’t really have the flexibility to make a move without trying to convince someone to waive and it’s going to be a hard sell to let a player of Marner’s calibre walk for free when it’s a weak UFA class. Shanahan’s handling of this situation has been nothing short of a disaster. As a leaf fan if they wanted to trade Marner 2 years ago I don’t think I would have had any issue with that. Now you’re telling me that we should let one of our better offensive guys go to sign more defense and that will fix our playoff scoring issues?

Why are you and some others saying that people demand defense? Couldn’t you use Marners potential 13-14 mil on top 9-forwards instead, so that you can stop relying on the likes of Holmberg. Minten, Robertson and others year after year? (because management spends it all on a couple of forwards)

Of course I do. You're just wrong about both when it comes to Marner.

Fine - how am I wrong on him?

 

[WillyC]

I know this might not be popular… however, I believe we see a different Mitch Marner this playoffs… he’s gonna channel some hidden Gilmour playoff vibes.

I suspect he doesn’t get a contract offer until after the playoffs.

Would like to see JT sign right now for under 3 million and have the Media talk about it… Mitch can let that sink in.

Those two really are the two big name local boys here in Toronto… until McDavid comes home.

 

[ToneDog]

Bennett has never cracked 50 points, he's a decent player but not even close. If he was actually officiated properly he would have been suspended multiple times in the playoffs.

He's a 25 goal scorer and a difference make in the playoffs while Mitch is a 16 goal scorer who disappears deeper into a series. For me, now way am I paying Marner $13m.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Fine - how am I wrong on him?

He's built perfectly fine for the playoffs, and he does perform.

 

[REALTALK81]

With all of the media attention, I could see Bennett getting suspended at a far greater pace if he were to play for Toronto.