Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2024-25: Re-Tool, Re-Group, Re-Mix, Re-Build

[impaaaaaact]

1.85 mil. Nice savings but there is a decent additional amount per year if you buy out.

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you probably have to call someone up to replace him... so you end up saving like 400k tops. Buying him out after replacement you maybe end up saving 1.2M

 

[12Dog]

We already have plenty of grit, leadership, playoff warrior types. The things Toronto lacks. What we lack is top end skill.

Used to be a gritty team
Who’s got grit now? Mayfield? Lee? Romanov?
This team got collectively soft with injuries and retirement, and in Lou’s poorly done quest to add speed and skill

 

[Throttle]

Used to be a gritty team
Who’s got grit now? Mayfield? Lee? Romanov?
This team got collectively soft with injuries and retirement, and in Lou’s poorly done quest to add speed and skill

Grit was boring, speed and skill were ‘exciting.’ Unleashed was the promised land…

 

[Throttle]

For an entertainment perspective, Marner moving on from Toronto and going to a competitive team should crack open a series of trades to free up space for a signing.

 

[iggy]

Signing someone like Ehlers, closing in on 30, to an eight year deal makes very little sense for the Isles or for him. Realistically, he will be pretty good for the first 3-4 years of that deal and then the contract will weight you down for the rest of the remaining years. This might work well for a team that feels close to winning the cup, like COL or CAR but maybe not quite being good enough right now. The Isles are years away, and if Ehlers wants to win, he would not choose to come to us.

I'd stay well clear of top free agents, but look for bargains on cheap and short deals instead.

From a retooling effort you are correct. But if this team does nothing to improve the team as soon as next season, the season ticket holders and overall attendance will continue to drop. This will not sit well with Malkin. He may have his own idea to which immediate direction that they take.

 

[seabass45]

From a retooling effort you are correct. But if this team does nothing to improve the team as soon as next season, the season ticket holders and overall attendance will continue to drop. This will not sit well with Malkin. He may have his own idea to which immediate direction that they take.

Making big UFA signings just to appease season ticket holders is a mistake. Your goal is to build a sustainable winner, then the season ticket holders will come and stay. If it takes a short term hit to get there then fine.

 

[iggy]

Making big UFA signings just to appease season ticket holders is a mistake. Your goal is to build a sustainable winner, then the season ticket holders will come and stay. If it takes a short term hit to get there then fine.

You are 100% correct. Malkin may not think so.

 

[seabass45]

You are 100% correct. Malkin may not think so.

Is there evidence that he feels this way?

 

[iggy]

Is there evidence that he feels this way?

No but there is no evidence that he doesn't. People know that billionaires do not like to see their billion-dollar investment see a drop in profits. Signing someone like Marner will re-energize the fan base.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

I want all of our UFA signings to be on day 3 of free agency.

 

[MJF]

The moment they started adding more grit and losing the high flying offense shit is when they finally started to seem like more of a threat and actually moved past the first round. Having all four of those guys was a mistake because they take up too much of the cap. They were always struggling to fill their defense or goaltending, year after year.

It took the Leafs 7 years to stumble onto Anthony Stolarz. They might have won this round if Stolarz was healthy. What was clear last night was that Joseph Woll picked the worst time to remember that he was Joseph Woll. He was bad yesterday and his gutless teammates let it crush them into the summer.

 

[MJF]

Grit was boring, speed and skill were ‘exciting.’ Unleashed was the promised land…

When the team needed a goal there was none to be had, remember?

 

[Throttle]

No but there is no evidence that he doesn't. People know that billionaires do not like to see their billion-dollar investment see a drop in profits. Signing someone like Marner will re-energize the fan base.

It gives a short term bump, especially if that top end player can’t full his weight to show the fans he’s worth it.

The Isles need to make some roster moves, refresh the team, then let it play out on the ice. Barry’s boring Isles were more exciting than this unleashed land of excuses and performance.

 

[Throttle]

When the team needed a goal there was none to be had, remember?

I do. Years later some of the same guys are still here…and still need that goal, so, you’ve probably learned something about those same ‘core’ guys since that time.

 

[seabass45]

No but there is no evidence that he doesn't.

Then why did you claim definitively that he's not going to be happy? I don't even know what the guy looks like, let alone his opinions on how to build a winning team. All we know is that he's deferring more to John Collins on the executive search, which could indicate that the priority is the long term instead of the short term.

People know that billionaires do not like to see their billion-dollar investment see a drop in profits.

This is true. There are also differing opinions on how to build a successful business and a lot of them know that making brash decisions for short term "excitement" often backfire.

Signing someone like Marner will re-energize the fan base.

Who cares? Is signing Marner making us a Cup contender for the next several years, or is it going to be a backbreaking signing that locks us into a team that can't make it past the second round? We made a big splash with Horvat and all it got us was two tepid playoff appearances and increasingly empty buildings.

Can't say enough that I do not care whether or not a signing "re-energizes the fan base". There's a laundry list of terrible UFA signings that have "re-energized the fan base".

 

[Strummergas]

I want all of our UFA signings to be on day 3 of free agency.

They usually are anyway.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

They usually are anyway.

It was my snarky way of saying no thanks to Marner at $13mm AAV on Day 1 given the current state of this team.

 

[Strummergas]

It was my snarky way of saying no thanks to Marner at $13mm AAV on Day 1 given the current state of this team.

Yeah, I got it

 

[doublechili]

Obviously the AAV will matter, but I don't get people dismissing Marner out of hand. He just turned 28 two weeks ago, so if you sign him for 7 years it's to 35 years old - not bad. And he had 102 points this season (good for 5th in the NHL), plus 13 points in 12 playoff games. Let's make believe he'd actually sign with the Isles - when does something like that fall into their laps? It's basically the Nelson/Palmieri money being spent. Gotta at least think about it, no?

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Obviously the AAV will matter, but I don't get people dismissing Marner out of hand. He just turned 28 two weeks ago, so if you sign him for 7 years it's to 35 years old - not bad. And he had 102 points this season (good for 5th in the NHL), plus 13 points in 12 playoff games. Let's make believe he'd actually sign with the Isles - when does something like that fall into their laps? It's basically the Nelson/Palmieri money being spent. Gotta at least think about it, no?

Absolutely.

If he's willing to sign here, you have to jump on it.

 

[Lights911]

Chief did about a good a job as he could. However, to me, the issue with this ‘core’ and the team is it’s relying on guys that aren’t ‘it’ players.

I’ll track this back to the Dubas/Keefe regime that let the players ‘be themselves’ and fostered a poor mindset in these guys. The fact the Ryan O’Reilly had no interest in signing as a UFA was kinda telling.

(And Keefe is gonna do the same to the Devils since they have some of the same weak minded not ‘it’ players as well).

You're right, very similar thing is happening with Keefe and NJ's stars.

 

[Chockey22]

Used to be a gritty team
Who’s got grit now? Mayfield? Lee? Romanov?
This team got collectively soft with injuries and retirement, and in Lou’s poorly done quest to add speed and skill

The problem really is that he didn't add skill

 

[Chockey22]

If the Isles offseason include getting rid of Lou, drafting the #1 overall pick, and signing the best UFA on the market, how could that not be seen as an absolutely stellar offseason

 

[Throttle]

If the Isles offseason include getting rid of Lou, drafting the #1 overall pick, and signing the best UFA on the market, how could that not be seen as an absolutely stellar offseason

Shhh…I’m hearing Shanahan as POHO, he brings back Lou to help him, and he gets the band back together and signs Marner as a UFA.

 

[SI]

I think Marner will move on and be open for business. IMO, that is a mistake - they should move on from Tavares and address other needs on the roster that will make the team more balanced.

The starting price will be 12m per season; it might take 13m per season for a team to lock him up.

• Could Marner help this franchise? Let's keep this simple - absolutely. You add a player of that skill and production, and it is always, YES, YES, YES.
• Will his contract be a backbreaker and not allow the team to build the proper pieces around him? When Tavares signed with the Leafs, his contract made up almost 14% of the cap. 13m for Marner would be roughly the same; however, when the cap climbs to 113 in 2 seasons, Marner's contract will make up 11.5 % of the cap.
• Can they fit his contract under the cap? NO, it will be very difficult for them to fit his contract under the existing cap # 95.5 - Duclair would need to be moved completely, Engvall would need to be bought out, Varlamov LTIR, and Pageau would need to be moved, which I think is a mistake (IMO, you need someone like Pageau to balance a Marner signing). It would take some bold and creative moves to get it all to work.
• Would he even sign here? If Matt Martin was able to get Marner to entertain coming to the island, it will have to take some magic.