True Realism

[Stephen]

I just think that Calgary Sucks and that Johnny Hockey/Tkachuk are UFAs. Seems logical and not surprising in the least. I'm not going to let butthurt Calgary fans speak for the insecurities of the entire country.

Should I feel.bad for them? No. In perspective they've won playoff rounds recently and a cup in 89.

I do feel sympathetic for Calgary fans, but I don't appreciate the woe is Canada storyline like we're all losers Johnny Gaudreau left.

 

[Stephen]

It's a reminder that these players are assets.

Being Toronto and being accused of being "not really Canada" and the usual invective might be to our advantage. That said, fantastic as our players might be, they are assets.

Who knows...Perhaps the real value in these assets is the type of foundational exchange we might not have yielded were they not generational Leafs.

Bear in mind, Eric Lindros was a "generational player" for a time. He never won a Cup, but the yield from moving him paved the way for Quebec/Colorado to win the Cup.

Believe me, I want to see Auston Matthews lift the Cup as a Maple Leaf. But not as I much as I want to see the Cup lifted by The Toronto Maple Leafs, whoever they may be.

I hope our management is watching with tunnel vision what's going on in Calgary, and laying contingencies right, left and center to insure it does not happen to Toronto.

That type of management isn't just mismanagement, it's nigh willful neglect.

Very well said. I've watched the Leafs since 1993 and seen a few generations of players cycle through by now. Auston Matthews is probably Top 2 on my list so I'm definitely rooting for a Stanley Cup and a happily ever after with this group, but life goes on in this game and it's important that even in a worst case, assets are handled correctly so that there can be success with the next group.

 

[LeafEgo]

Sorry what’s this “deep in the playoffs” thing?

It’s a realistic option he leaves, and now more given what we’re seeing elsewhere. I still think we can keep him, but to pretend its a given is foolish.

I think there was a comms breakdown - perhaps my fault.

It appears the window from post playoffs to when 34's NMC kicks in is small - measured in days. I'm wondering how many because it's a big move to pull off and I doubt there will be aggressive negotiations during a playoff run.

I'm simply just curious as to the parameters of how this could play out, which I suspect some on here are knowledgeable about.

I have as many doubts about a deep playoff run as anyone and not trying to predict the chances of his leaving to any degree.

 

[LeafEgo]

All-American-on-Canadian-Teams Team

M.Tkachuk - Matthews - Connor
B.Tkachuk - Norris - Debrincat
Garland - Miller - Boeser
Batherson - Wheeler - Coleman
(Caufield - Dvorak - Yamamoto)

Hanifin - Pionk
Hughes - Holl
Schmidt - Myers
(Sanderson - Wideman)

Hellebuyck
Demko
(Campbell)

Holl is American? Good lord. Probably grew up watching basketball.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Post Covid this is becoming a real issue.

Only having to travel to Canada a few times a year as opposed to travelling to US every other wrek is a big difference. Going through customs is now a huge hassle.

Inflation is bad in both countries but with taxes being so much lower in the US there are multiple reasons fo Americans to want to play at home.

You could be right about this. So far this playing in the US hasn't been an issue for the NHL but I could see it becoming one soon. I don't see any reason why players in the NHL can't flex their muscles and use their power the same way it's done in the NBA, probably only a matter time and covid related nonsense just might be the trigger that gets some of them thinking about it seriously for the first time. Part of why it hasn't been a big issue in the NHL is also probably that most NBA players are from the US and similarly, most NHL players are from Canada but that's changing all the time (not even sure if most are from Canada any more) and the bigger the percentage of US players there is, the more of an issue wanting to play in the US becomes.

I think it's less of an issue for us than other Canadian teams because Toronto is such an awesome place to live and IMHO better than most US cities. I mean yeah Florida the weather is great but not everyone would even prefer that. But if it's someone like Gaudreau that just wants to play close to home, whether it's Calgary or Toronto he's leaving probably doesn't matter at all but then, you could say the same for the US cities that aren't in the geographical area that he wants to play in.

It sucks for Canadian teams, it really does, I wouldn't be shocked if Canada becomes something of an NHL backwater and I suppose it already is to some degree. Again I'll say that I don't it'll affect Toronto that much but boy does it ever suck to be a Calgary fan right now.

 

[WillyC]

After Covid in Canada… it could be just the simple fact, playing in front of no fans while American fans are cheering on their teams.

 

[Menzinger]

I'd be wary of drawing too wide of a lesson from the action of a few players.

Stamkos didn't want to deal with the media attention and pressure of Toronto - but others (including Matthews) seem like they actually like being treated like stars.

Toronto also has other advantages over most of the other Canadian NHL cities in terms of it's size/culture ect (has no issues inking top MLB talent, ect). So I don't quite think the "Canadian problem" applies to each Canadian market equally.

In the past Toronto couldn't attract talent because it barely had any skilled talent and couldn't even make the playoffs - which isn't the case anymore.

 

[Community]

I don't know why this thread was called True Realism when the whole original post was based on false information.

Where is this "20 mil" number coming from? You're pulling that number out of thin air without a shred of evidence.

Normally the 7 Canadian teams are on the no trade list? How could you possibly know that.

 

[LeafEgo]

I'd be wary of drawing too wide of a lesson from the action of a few players.

Stamkos didn't want to deal with the media attention and pressure of Toronto - but others (including Matthews) seem like they actually like being treated like stars.

Toronto also has other advantages over most of the other Canadian NHL cities in terms of it's size/culture ect (has no issues inking top MLB talent, ect). So I don't quite think the "Canadian problem" applies to each Canadian market equally.

In the past Toronto couldn't attract talent because it barely had any skilled talent and couldn't even make the playoffs - which isn't the case anymore.

Agree with all of this bar maybe the Stamkos/Matty speculation.

Times change though, and what's transpiring in Calgary should be noted.

It's going to become a discussion point that has more merit than it did a few weeks ago.

 

[Stephen]

I'd be wary of drawing too wide of a lesson from the action of a few players.

Stamkos didn't want to deal with the media attention and pressure of Toronto - but others (including Matthews) seem like they actually like being treated like stars.

Toronto also has other advantages over most of the other Canadian NHL cities in terms of it's size/culture ect (has no issues inking top MLB talent, ect). So I don't quite think the "Canadian problem" applies to each Canadian market equally.

In the past Toronto couldn't attract talent because it barely had any skilled talent and couldn't even make the playoffs - which isn't the case anymore.

If you had hysterical reporters like Eric Francis covering the Lightning and Panthers, I could see a flurry of articles and tweets signaling the demise of Florida hockey, as evidenced by the exodus of Ondrej Palat, Claude Giroux, Ben Chiarot, Mason Marchment to teams up north. There are other factors at play besides Canada? You don't say.

 

[shortfuze]

Back in the day there was a rumor that TO offered Stamkos 13 plus mil. per year , he eventually settled for $8.5 mil. with TB, that's around a 5 mil. $ difference, that didn't entice Stamkos who is a Markham boy. TO also promised him added revenue for advertising $s with Cdn Tire and others, again rumored, that $20 mil. per year was the ultimate figure.

Gaudreau was offered more money by Calgary than Columbus, Calgary is/was a very good team, Columbus not so good, yet Gaudreau wanted out. Now Tkachuk wants out and I think we can bet he doesn't want to stay in Canada, I'd bet he wants to return to St.L. or maybe even Arizona, he'd willingly take a hair cut to do so.

So what, most players of any quality have contracts early in their careers with modified NMC and generally there is a 10 team list that they submit that names the teams they don't want to go to, usually/normally the 7 Canadian teams are on those lists, Kadri had Calgary on his and he was playing for a Cdn. team.

It seems that generally both Canadians and Americans aren't happy playing for a Canadian team, what might this mean for TO, Matthews, Marner, Nylander get a bit of a thrashing from the Cdn. media and fan bases, in 1 to 2 years they will be able to go/do whatever they want, where ever they want. At the very least I'd expect Matthews to sign below the border.

How should a GM react in Canada, knowing this, keep the players until their contracts expire, like Calgary did with Gaudreau, or trade those players away while they can for asset(s), even tho their competitive edge would also be traded away.

It's tough being a Canadian GM and even tougher being a fan of a Canadian NHL team. It'll be 30 years since the last Canadian team won a Cup, I wonder how many more before the next Canadian champion?

Pretty sure the salary cap wouldn’t have allowed stamkos to sign a contract for that much.

Nevermind. Looks like I was wrong. But definitely never hear him signing for 13 million or getting that much in endorsements.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Matthews should be traded before July 1 if there is no framework for a deal by late June. Maybe he'd sign after his NMC kicks in, but a 23-24 season with Matthews as a lame duck would be a huge circus.

But I expect him to re-sign.

Is it time that Canada left the NHL and started our own league? Soccer does it.
We could sell players to the Americans so they can say they are top of the world. Once arenas start to get shot up, everyone will want to come back to Canada.

Apparently 2/3 of NHL revenue is derived from Canada despite Canadian teams making up under 25% of the league. Imagine 8-10 uber-rich guys building their own rinks, starting an all-Canadian league, and getting a substantial TV deal. They could ruin the NHL. Maybe the Saudis would finance it.

 

[madmike77]

Eric Francis needs to get a life. Aside from Calgary being in the same country as Toronto, and Matthews being American, this is basically a professional journalist trying to troll another fanbase while his own team is burning down.

Francis trolls the Flames regularly. He’s definitely not a homer. His stories do tend to be negative and overly sensational. But in this case I think he’s right. There is a significant chance Matthews leaves for the U.S. It’s where he still lives in the offseason.

 

[Menzinger]

Francis trolls the Flames regularly. He’s definitely not a homer. His stories do tend to be negative and overly sensational. But in this case I think he’s right. There is a significant chance Matthews leaves for the U.S. It’s where he still lives in the offseason.

Though a ton of players have the GTA as their offseason home - I wouldn't necessarily claim that the majority of them are likely heading to Toronto

 

[leafsfan5]

Top insider in the game

 

[TheRumble]

The Stamkos thing should be taken as a positive.

He gave us a meeting despite the fact that Tampa was coming off a ECF appearance and we were coming off a last overall finish. I can't think of a free agent in any sport giving a team like that a chance and a few years later Tavares gave it to us and signed.

Secondly, Toronto is not like the rest of Canada. First, most people in Canada don't even like us so they can f' off with this nonsense of lumping us in with them.

Second, we're a very different city than Winnipeg, Calgary or Edmonton.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I just think that Calgary Sucks and that Johnny Hockey/Tkachuk are UFAs. Seems logical and not surprising in the least. I'm not going to let butthurt Calgary fans speak for the insecurities of the entire country.

Should I feel.bad for them? No. In retrospect they've won playoff rounds recently and a cup in 89.

 

[DarkKnight]

Francis trolls the Flames regularly. He’s definitely not a homer. His stories do tend to be negative and overly sensational. But in this case I think he’s right. There is a significant chance Matthews leaves for the U.S. It’s where he still lives in the offseason.

And he was saying Calgary would lose their stars when nobody bought it. I heard him today, it was fair comment not bitter homer stuff.

I‘d like to think Matthews stays, we’ve treated him and his family like absolute gold. But Dubas let this guy walk into free agency at 26, and you’re a fool to think he’s a done deal here next contract. Get used to it Leaf fans, the questions are coming and his future is an interesting topic. Also, I think covid has changed the landscape a bit.

Let’s just win something this year, that’s the best way to keep him around.

 

[DraftSchmaft]

Gaudreau just seems off to me. Especially how he flipped to jackets pitch after being sold on another team. Guys trying to bring "yolo" back.

Matthew's is more stable and understands the glory winning it for Toronto.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

Calgary - Not as bad as Edmonton but an aging building and tons of travel.

I think this plays a bigger role than most people think. Who the hell wants to play in a dump for at least half the season?

 

[Voodoo Child]

I think this this plays a bigger role than most people think. Who the hell wants to play in a dump for at least half the season?

I’m sure many of us grew up playing the game, in my town there were three arenas - a new one that was awesome, an older one that was recently at the time refurbished to be pretty good and an even older one in a shadier part of town that looked like Eddie Shack played peewee in it.

Just one sheet, one way in and out, dressing rooms with no heat and a Lv. 1 Concession Stand, now imagine a 7:30 AM practice there. No one ever liked playing there, even the parents didn’t like it.

The newest arena was sick, seating for 3000+, concessions I couldn’t even imagine at the time and barely a km from home.

 

[Gabriel426]

Francis trolls the Flames regularly. He’s definitely not a homer. His stories do tend to be negative and overly sensational. But in this case I think he’s right. There is a significant chance Matthews leaves for the U.S. It’s where he still lives in the offseason.

McDavid been training in Leafs facility for the past few years, maybe he is coming home in a few years.

 

[justashadowof]

Oh if Frank Seravalli says not to worry about it. You guys can't be serious.

 

[ACC1224]

Oh if Frank Seravalli says not to worry about it. You guys can't be serious.

 

[deprw]

One question towards Dubas haters, if keeping Shanahan / Dubas means that we can surely keep Matthews could you eat the pain and frustration?

There is interesting times coming next summer if Shanny / Dubas has Matthews contract negotiated before hand and then we change regime. Will Matthews sign in turbulence or will he look elsewhere.

To me: keeping Matthews > changing GM in near future.