Ya but the young players got too muchFor me it was the Tavares signing. I'm not sure if it was this board or another forum in which I voiced my strong displeasure.
It's not that Tavares wasn't worth the contract or the risk - he was and it's only our hindsight that makes us think otherwise. We knew that the latter years of this contract would be suboptimal relative to his AAV. At the time, a 27 year old, hometown kid, signing for a discount with the upside of hitting 100+ points per season without having to give up any assets seemed like too good to be true.
The problem is that the signing made absolutely no sense given the timings and trajectory of the Leafs, especially with three young players due for raises. For someone who was seemingly a cap and statistical savant, Dubas shortened the Leafs' content window by a solid 5 years. If anything, it was irrational hubris ("we can and we will") that led to this lapse in judgement and screwed this team's cap structure for the next decade.
That's exactly my point - it's a direct consequence of signing Tavares at $11M per.Ya but the young players got too much
the same core players run it backEach year that passes, this thread ages like a fine wine. I wonder how many more years of post-season failure we'll have to endure before this thread stops being relevant.
2021 Montreal collapse.
That was the moment it really should have been blown up. It felt painfully obvious at the time. With hindsight, it's even more crystal clear now.
- North Division playoffs meant you were only playing teams you beat up on all season
- No fans no pressure
- No media no pressure
- No excuses
- 3-1 series lead
- Still found a way to choke it away
On his birthday too… 2 goals and an assist.I knew it was over when Nylander scored into the empty net to make it 4-2 with 20 seconds left in the game.
What a way for Nylander to cap off his brilliant first round as he finished with NINE (8) points in the series and a well deserved first star of the game.