Rumor: Nylander like Matthews unextended. Nothing to see here.

[ULF_55]

The way Nylander is carrying on, you would think he needed the money.

I don't think waiting it out is an option for him. Either he signs or he's traded. There is no other option.

It might still be both.

Even if he's traded he'll still decide where he signs.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Hard for any player to maintain 40 goals. Heck, look at Matthews in the same playing time this year as Nylander he scored ... wait for it ... 40 goals and he's a Rocket man.

Again, I don't think money is a concern for Nylander, respect is though.

Wouldn't be surprised if he signed for less elsewhere.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Even if he's traded he'll still decide where he signs.

Is it really his decision if he just wants to go to the highest bidder?

Whoever makes him an offer he can't refuse wins.

 

[KPower]

3x$10.5

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

The rumour now is that Matthews isn't gonna sign until Nylander signs.

Good Lord.

Does Matthews really think Nylander is gonna sign first? And does this team not have any leaders for anything? Who cares who goes first anyway?

Just get it done and move on.

The longer this Nylander (and Matthews) negotiation drags out the bigger the distraction it will become. And make no mistake about it, this will be a major distraction if not taken care of before the season starts. Which is why it's so important they get it done soon.

There's already enough spotlight on this team.

Nylander is a good player. But he's only a winger. And he's the fifth best player on this team.

I can't think of a single argument that he should be earning the same as his much better teammates.

Including Matthews.

The fact that AM won't sign until WN does is a very troublesome situation. That means that AM is possibly going to want a huge raise and they know if WN sees what kind of deal they give AM...he will want his 10M+ deal. They are in serious trouble if that is what 2 of the core 4 are doing. They both care about not getting ripped off more than winning.....sigh.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

Hard for any player to maintain 40 goals. Heck, look at Matthews in the same playing time this year as Nylander he scored ... wait for it ... 40 goals and he's a Rocket man.

Again, I don't think money is a concern for Nylander, respect is though.

Wouldn't be surprised if he signed for less elsewhere.

I am pretty sure WN has 2 prices in his head. One is for the Leafs and their internal cap structure and one is for the rest of the league. He feels he is the only guy who signed for less than his worth last time...he won't do it again if the others try to break the bank...again.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

The fact that AM won't sign until WN does is a very troublesome situation. That means that AM is possibly going to want a huge raise and they know if WN sees what kind of deal they give AM...he will want his 10M+ deal. They are in serious trouble if that is what 2 of the core 4 are doing. They both care about not getting ripped off more than winning.....sigh.

They're not even worried about getting ripped off.

They're worried about not ripping the team off enough. It's concerning to see the franchise degraded like this. The players have been given all control.

At first I thought Matthews was waiting for Nylander to sign so he knew Nylander wasn't getting traded.

Then I realized how stupid that sounded. Even if they signed Nylander they can still trade him after Matthews signed. So it's clearly about maximizing their return.

Nylander clearly doesn't need the money.

Neither does Matthews for that matter. And yet that's what this is all about, the money. If these guys don't stop playing their game of one-upmanship with their bank accounts, the team should end it for them by trading Nylander.

Nylander might not believe it, but he CAN be replaced.

 

[Mess]

I am pretty sure WN has 2 prices in his head. One is for the Leafs and their internal cap structure and one is for the rest of the league. He feels he is the only guy who signed for less than his worth last time...he won't do it again if the others try to break the bank...again.

Willy got screwed no doubt by the vast overpayment of the other 3 core 4 forwards as he made $4mil or more less than all of them.

In the real World his was the only reasonable contract based on NHL comparables, but he went 1st last time also so while he held out for top $$ he also didn't know what was ahead particularly for Auston and Mitch.

The changing of the GM was a blessing for the organization because the new GM can't be blamed for past mistakes or screwing Willy over, and when he now asks players to take less, he can stand on his word that all players will be treated the same now to a point as far as next contract goes.

Willy should therefore get the largest raise on this deal, If the Leafs agreed to give Nylander $9 mil and held Marner in check at $11 mil then the gap went from $4 mil down to $2 mil. While in turn Tavares is expected to take the greatest paycut and will make less than Nylander on his next deal. Essentially BT trying to correct the internal salary structure.

 

[Budz]

If our stars cared this much during the playoffs, we would be set.

ELITE contract negotiators.

Eff off all of them. I’m honestly not sure if I even like any of our Top 5.

34 - best talent and physical gifts I’ve ever seen in blue n white. Doesn’t understand what being a Leaf is all about. American, who cares more about fashion and his contract. My god, if he took a team friendly deal, rallied his peers to also do the same and amp up his ability to stand up for himself - he would be the biggest thing in Toronto history.

88 - amazing easy speed and talent galore. No physical game at all. Pretty boy gym guy who could carry carton of eggs every shift and not break them.

16 - fantastic regular season competitor who leaves my jaw dropped almost daily during the regular season. Best puck distributor I’ve ever seen. No ability to ratchet his game up when things get tough in playoffs. No push back, needs refs to protect him from one of his off ice friends. Let that sink in. Low EQ. Gets in his head and pouts like a spoiled trust fund baby when things don’t go his way.

91 - bless his soul, he sure tries. I will give him that. Aside from that, a declining franchise centre who is slow and a Bambi on skates. Has the personality of a wet noodle and inspires no one around him.

44 - probably the most likeable of late and hey - he’s nailing Tessa. Bonus points. Good in the community. Unlike Mitch, his regular season games are often cringe worthy. Worst 2v1 D man I have ever seen. Yet, shows up in the playoffs. He’s probably the best of the lot - but you kinda know he’s not really going to LEAD a Championship team.

I’m so excited for the coming season - can’t you tell?

 

[notDatsyuk]

Thanks for the response.

Yes, I rank Rielly and Captain Boat Anchor Tavares higher.

A couple years ago I would have had Muzzin higher too. And if they had a good goalie, I would have him ranked higher in importance as well. I don't have a high regard for wingers in general, and Nylander is a one-dimensional winger, with little else to his game than rush offense.

I really hope they trade him more than anything if we are being perfectly honest here.

Send a message to the rest of them.

Higher importance I can see a goalie, but if we're talking better player, then I see Nylander no worse than fourth, and likely third. We can disagree.

As far as trading someone to send a message, I really hope they trade Marner. The problem is that with how much he's overpaid, we probably wouldn't get as good a return.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Matthews and Marner are far superior defensively.

True, JT really drags that line down, and really shouldn't be more than 3C at this point, but I'm not sure why that means Willy isn't a line driver.

And again, isn't that more justification for playing Mitch with JT and Willy with Matty?

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Higher importance I can see a goalie, but if we're talking better player, then I see Nylander no worse than fourth, and likely third. We can disagree.

As far as trading someone to send a message, I really hope they trade Marner. The problem is that with how much he's overpaid, we probably wouldn't get as good a return.

They just paid Marner his bonus.

So he's only owed league minimum this year. $12M for the next two years of Marner is a great deal. If I remember correctly, Nylander is only owed $2.5M now for this year.

I don't think the Leafs will have any trouble trading either of these guys.

In terms of best player, I still have Nylander as the team's fifth best player. Marner and Matthews are indisputably better. And Tavares gets just the same amount of points and goals while playing a more important position (the problem with Tavares is his contract). Rielly is a top defenseman and holds more value both in terms of merit and entitlement.

That leaves Nylander.

They should just trade Nylander to SJ for a 50% retained Karlsson. A little wheeling and dealing and they could have got Karlsson for the same cap cost, or less, as Klingberg. Klingberg is just Karlsson lite anyway - all the same horrible bad defense without the "oh my god" offense.

WIth big risks come big rewards.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Willy got screwed no doubt by the vast overpayment of the other 3 core 4 forwards as he made $4mil or more less than all of them.

In the real World his was the only reasonable contract based on NHL comparables, but he went 1st last time also so while he held out for top $$ he also didn't know what was ahead particularly for Auston and Mitch.

The changing of the GM was a blessing for the organization because the new GM can't be blamed for past mistakes or screwing Willy over, and when he now asks players to take less, he can stand on his word that all players will be treated the same now to a point as far as next contract goes.

Willy should therefore get the largest raise on this deal, If the Leafs agreed to give Nylander $9 mil and held Marner in check at $11 mil then the gap went from $4 mil down to $2 mil. While in turn Tavares is expected to take the greatest paycut and will make less than Nylander on his next deal. Essentially BT trying to correct the internal salary structure.

In light of this whole "who signs first" thing, I just remember that Matthews signed very shortly after Nylander did the last time too.

I'm not an expert.

So I don't know what's fair and what's not. Marner plays pk, and averages over a ppg, while Nylander doesn't. Is that worth $2M, or $4M, more a year?

I don't know.

What I do know is that Nylander held out until literally the last minute first time around. While Marner didn't get the chance to hold out (we all know he would have) Marner was even more blasphemous by approaching other teams in attempt to solicit an offer sheet. And they did this to a young rookie GM just new on the job.

They're not team players.

Nylander was first. He was the ringleader. He's the one leading the charge again.

If the Leafs want to make a statement, they should seriously consider trading him.

Re-balance both the payroll and roster construction.

 

[Gary Nylund]

In light of this whole "who signs first" thing, I just remember that Matthews signed very shortly after Nylander did the last time too.

I'm not an expert.

So I don't know what's fair and what's not. Marner plays pk, and averages over a ppg, while Nylander doesn't. Is that worth $2M, or $4M, more a year?

I don't know.

What I do know is that Nylander held out until literally the last minute first time around. While Marner didn't get the chance to hold out (we all know he would have) Marner was even more blasphemous by approaching other teams in attempt to solicit an offer sheet. And they did this to a young rookie GM just new on the job.

They're not team players.

Nylander was first. He was the ringleader. He's the one leading the charge again.

If the Leafs want to make a statement, they should seriously consider trading him.

Re-balance both the payroll and roster construction.

This makes no sense. Nylander's contract in no way set a precedent for M&M's contracts, they both got way over paid, Nylander did not.

I'd rather trade them all than grossly overpay them but I completely understand if Nylander won't sign before Matthews. If Matthews takes a reasonable deal, maybe Nylander will also and trading him before finding that out could be a big mistake.

Ball's in your court Auston, time to make a move and if you care about this franchise, you'll make a decision sooner as opposed to later.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

It's incredible how the Leafs went 3/4 with drafted players who put money first.

Marner, Nylander, and Matthews are all money-first players. They've made it a bit obvious now. Rielly is the only one who took a discount from the core and I won't count Tavares as he was a UFA with no connection to the team. Even though he's also incredibly overpaid now.

To be fair, it's almost impossible to see this happen in hockey. I would expect one guy to be like this. To see almost all of them have the same mindset is honestly incredible. Usually, basketball players have this mindset due to the NBA and their sport being superstar-driven.

 

[Nineteen67]

Does an AHL level player hating our team really matter?

No, why would it?

Did matter when Wayne hated on them?

 

[Nineteen67]

I am pretty sure WN has 2 prices in his head. One is for the Leafs and their internal cap structure and one is for the rest of the league. He feels he is the only guy who signed for less than his worth last time...he won't do it again if the others try to break the bank...again.

1 salary demand between now and June 30 2024 and then the best offer available after that.

I don’t really blame him, he’s earned the right per the CBA.

 

[Notsince67]

Nylander should just wait it out.

He doesn't need the money.

In the meantime this thread is seriously entertaining, and great for sitting down to chat with Rusty.

At the end of the day, if Nylander is traded, it won't be because he is blind sided. All parties know what is at stake. The kid has a right to do what is best for himself as does the team.
He isn't a public servant. There is nothing for Nylander to do except agree to terms or wait for the team to weigh their options. If the team doesn't trade him it's because the return will net hurt them too much this year. They may just consider Nylander's chance of walking next year as the cost of a rental

 

[ULF_55]

Nylander was first. He was the ringleader. He's the one leading the charge again.

If the Leafs want to make a statement, they should seriously consider trading him.

Re-balance both the payroll and roster construction.

Not sure how Nylander is leading the charge.

Matthews is supposed to be a team leader, and is compensated as a team leader.

They both have the same expiry date and status, and Nylander's deal was 6 years, compared to 5 for Matthews.

Mind you, I suppose you have a strong point, Matthews is not and likely never will be a leader.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Not sure how Nylander is leading the charge.

Matthews is supposed to be a team leader, and is compensated as a team leader.

They both have the same expiry date and status, and Nylander's deal was 6 years, compared to 5 for Matthews.

Mind you, I suppose you have a strong point, Matthews is not and likely never will be a leader.

None of them are leaders.

The only thing any of these guys are leading is the charge to the bank. Stepping over the corpses of the fans on the way to cash in their cheques. The Matthews deal was the easiest to negotiate last time around.

Matthews was willing to accept either an eight year deal, or a three year bridge deal at $9M, but Dubas somehow swindled him into taking the 5 year deal paying an extra $2M a year with a full NMC the final year instead.

Boy is he ever stupid.

 

[Throw More Waffles]

Willy got screwed no doubt by the vast overpayment of the other 3 core 4 forwards as he made $4mil or more less than all of them.

In the real World his was the only reasonable contract based on NHL comparables, but he went 1st last time also so while he held out for top $$ he also didn't know what was ahead particularly for Auston and Mitch.

The changing of the GM was a blessing for the organization because the new GM can't be blamed for past mistakes or screwing Willy over, and when he now asks players to take less, he can stand on his word that all players will be treated the same now to a point as far as next contract goes.

Willy should therefore get the largest raise on this deal, If the Leafs agreed to give Nylander $9 mil and held Marner in check at $11 mil then the gap went from $4 mil down to $2 mil. While in turn Tavares is expected to take the greatest paycut and will make less than Nylander on his next deal. Essentially BT trying to correct the internal salary structure.

While I fully agree with the fact that Marner and Matthews were significantly overpaid, I don't like the current narrative that Nylander was underpaid or even had a "fair" contract. It was also an overpayment at time of signing.

Marner was a proven 26 goal/94 point player. Matthews was coming off of a 45 goal/ppg pace. Nylander was nothing more than a measly 20 goal/60 point player. Marner and Matthews were definitely at a different tier than Nylander at the end of their respective elc's and deserved significantly more money.

Most of the posters on this board have a profound misunderstanding about rfa contracts. Nylander had ZERO leverage. He literally had two choices: 1: Accept how ever many millions Dubas offers him. 2: Play for like 500k in Switzerland. That's IT. Nylander decided that his closest comparable was (lol) a proven 34 goal/70 point player. Nylander held out to get paid as a 34 goal/70 point player and Dubas caved to him at the last second. Almost the precise same cap percentage, yet Nylander FAR more front loaded, FAR more in signing bonuses, and (lol) one less ufa year. Nylanders contract was extraordinarily player friendly not team friendly.

If Nylander wanted to be paid more than a (lol) 20 goal/60 point player, he should have bet on himself and taken a bridge or something. Instead, he played hardball and got a weakling gm to pay him as a proven 34 goal/70 point player (38 goal/76 point pace). People here say "That's a good cap hit for his value though." Yes, that's PRECISELY how the cba is supposed to work. By design, rfa players are supposed to be a TREMENDOUS value for the team. Posters here look at rfa contracts the same as ufa contracts. And you can see it in the current negotiations. As I've said a million times, now that these money hungry diva's have the leverage, we're going to see all hell break loose in these negotiations.

 

[Gary Nylund]

While I fully agree with the fact that Marner and Matthews were significantly overpaid, I don't like the current narrative that Nylander was underpaid or even had a "fair" contract. It was also an overpayment at time of signing.

Marner was a proven 26 goal/94 point player. Matthews was coming off of a 45 goal/ppg pace. Nylander was nothing more than a measly 20 goal/60 point player. Marner and Matthews were definitely at a different tier than Nylander at the end of their respective elc's and deserved significantly more money.

Most of the posters on this board have a profound misunderstanding about rfa contracts. Nylander had ZERO leverage. He literally had two choices: 1: Accept how ever many millions Dubas offers him. 2: Play for like 500k in Switzerland. That's IT. Nylander decided that his closest comparable was (lol) a proven 34 goal/70 point player. Nylander held out to get paid as a 34 goal/70 point player and Dubas caved to him at the last second. Almost the precise same cap percentage, yet Nylander FAR more front loaded, FAR more in signing bonuses, and (lol) one less ufa year. Nylanders contract was extraordinarily player friendly not team friendly.

If Nylander wanted to be paid more than a (lol) 20 goal/60 point player, he should have bet on himself and taken a bridge or something. Instead, he played hardball and got a weakling gm to pay him as a proven 34 goal/70 point player (38 goal/76 point pace). People here say "That's a good cap hit for his value though." Yes, that's PRECISELY how the cba is supposed to work. By design, rfa players are supposed to be a TREMENDOUS value for the team. Posters here look at rfa contracts the same as ufa contracts. And you can see it in the current negotiations. As I've said a million times, now that these money hungry diva's have the leverage, we're going to see all hell break loose in these negotiations.

I haven't seen anyone say Nylander was underpaid, but sure if people said it then they're wrong IMO.

Of course M&M were on a different tier and deserved more, and they got more so no issue there.

If Nylander was slightly overpaid and people say he got a fair deal, it might be because compared to him, Marner was massively overpaid so pretty much any contract looks fair compared to that monstrosity.

 

[Throw More Waffles]

If Nylander was slightly overpaid and people say he got a fair deal, it might be because compared to him, Marner was massively overpaid so pretty much any contract looks fair compared to that monstrosity.

Yes, this precisely.

 

[Knies iT]

What exactly is a discount in Nylander’s eyes?

Why would he?

If he settles for a discount and the others don’t, the team saves a marginal ~1m.

I like what Nylander’s doing. It puts pressure on Matthews to lead by example and define the team’s culture moving forward. He’s the franchise player, so set the example and take a discount. The others will follow and the combined savings will be significant.

It’s all on Matthews right now.

 

[Nineteen67]

While I fully agree with the fact that Marner and Matthews were significantly overpaid, I don't like the current narrative that Nylander was underpaid or even had a "fair" contract. It was also an overpayment at time of signing.

Marner was a proven 26 goal/94 point player. Matthews was coming off of a 45 goal/ppg pace. Nylander was nothing more than a measly 20 goal/60 point player. Marner and Matthews were definitely at a different tier than Nylander at the end of their respective elc's and deserved significantly more money.

Most of the posters on this board have a profound misunderstanding about rfa contracts. Nylander had ZERO leverage. He literally had two choices: 1: Accept how ever many millions Dubas offers him. 2: Play for like 500k in Switzerland. That's IT. Nylander decided that his closest comparable was (lol) a proven 34 goal/70 point player. Nylander held out to get paid as a 34 goal/70 point player and Dubas caved to him at the last second. Almost the precise same cap percentage, yet Nylander FAR more front loaded, FAR more in signing bonuses, and (lol) one less ufa year. Nylanders contract was extraordinarily player friendly not team friendly.

If Nylander wanted to be paid more than a (lol) 20 goal/60 point player, he should have bet on himself and taken a bridge or something. Instead, he played hardball and got a weakling gm to pay him as a proven 34 goal/70 point player (38 goal/76 point pace). People here say "That's a good cap hit for his value though." Yes, that's PRECISELY how the cba is supposed to work. By design, rfa players are supposed to be a TREMENDOUS value for the team. Posters here look at rfa contracts the same as ufa contracts. And you can see it in the current negotiations. As I've said a million times, now that these money hungry diva's have the leverage, we're going to see all hell break loose in these negotiations.

Nylander can pick a $ amount and if anyone wants to sign the contract he’ll take it. He knows a great contract will always be available next July.