Would you want the leafs to trade Matthew’s if they lose next game?

[themilosh]

One year left at 9 to 10 mil. They aren't moving him. He's the only top tier C they have.

The irony in this statement is deep considering their draft position. Full circle i suppose..

Point is Matthews is a stud 1C. All the clamoring in here about trading him for a wet blanket is cray considering the team is still in the playoffs down 3-2.

Far from over guys.... they're playing the defending SC champs (plus Marchand ffs). Their starting G was taken out with a concussion (kinda of fluky injury regardless of intent). If they lose tomorrow then questions will be raised no doubt, but until then enjoy the ride.

However I do agree, as a Captain he's gotta lead, and rn hes following in patioreadys tenure as Capt. of the CH

 

[ITM]

Strip him of the C whether he’s traded or not if they lose this series.

I thought it couldn’t get worse than Phaneuf but this guy is by far the WORST captain in franchise history which is saying something because he may also be the most talented.

What a waste.

Rob Ramage wasn’t wonderful either.

 

[MajorLeaf]

The moment Matthews signed a 4 year contract extension with the Leafs told the franchise he was not willing to win long-term for the Leafs.

Most players sign 8 year deals with their team for financial stability and guarantee money and the ability to see the process through of winning.

Not Matthews or Marner we’re willing to commit long-term to this team and the result of commitment shows on the ice. Why the Leafs decided to give NMC clause AND up front bonus money on top of that made NO sense.

It’s like a sales person making $100k commission on ONE deal what do you think they would do for the next 3 months with that money? Go on vacation and not come back to work until they had their fun.

This is the problem with these players, they get their bonus money and when playoffs come they got no more coming in so they check out ASAP until the next bonus comes on July 1 UP FRONT!!

This is why the Leafs should move on from Matthews and the rest of the bonus babies as they just want to get paid and not get hurt in the playoffs,

 

[LeafGrief]

Wringing our hands about the return is the exact same scared thinking that has led this team to run it back again and again every year. So what that his value is at an all time low? What about reinvigorating the franchise with a sense of player responsibility? How many first round draft picks is that worth? I'd literally rather have an expansion team at this point, what we get in a Matthews trade is irrelevant. He is FIRED.

 

[Blanka]

easiest yes of my life

Easier than let Marner walk? That's slightly easier for me.

 

[Mentat]

At this point in his career, i´m very thankful that he only signed a 4 year deal.
As much as he is a stud in the regular season, come PO time, he starts performing magic tricks. Chief amongst them, he disappears. We can´t afford to have our Captain go AWOL when it matters most.
He needs to do A LOT MORE in the Playoffs. Injured or not, you go till you can´t go no more.

To answer the topic, no, not yet. Unless we can cook a blockbuster trade for AM.
I´d give him one more season. If, by the end of the next season, his performance doesn´t improve significantly, he needs to be traded for the best return possible.

 

[Hugh Mongusbig]

To answer the topic, no, not yet. Unless we can cook a blockbuster trade for AM.
I´d give him one more season. If, by the end of the next season, his performance doesn´t improve significantly, he needs to be traded for the best return possible.

so run it back?

I wouldn't call him cooked by any means, but personally, I think his best days are behind him.
He's had issues with both his wrist and possibly his back (spine) at various times over his career. I think both ailments are becoming bigger issues for him, but now at the same time, and I don't think either is likely to get better.
The lethal shot is now gone from the lingering wrist issues. And we all know it would take a total and complete spinal transplant for him to ever become a physical player.
it's time to move on.

 

[rielledup]

Yes he has to go. Sorry Matthews it's business and you've been able to get whatever you want our turn now.

Marner is gone. Matthews can return a few younger pieces. Like a Clarke and Byfield package. This team badly needs a retool with some youth especially on the blue line.

Reminder we do not have our first until 2028!!! Rebuilding is not happening. And we cannot run this team back another 3 years to avoid giving Boston another lottery pick.

What is it with people thinking Byfield is good? This is like 4th Byfield for AM trade I've seen mentioned. He had 54 points this year.

 

[rielledup]

Why are people so against blowing it up and doing a rebuild? What are you holding onto at this point?

 

[ACC1224]

Why are people so against blowing it up and doing a rebuild? What are you holding onto at this point?

Teams that just win the Division don't rebuild. What people are for or against is irrelevant.

 

[hoglund]

I predict a great game tonight from Mathews probably a hat trick, even if he doesn't I doubt that they trade Mathews only a year ago he scored 69 goals and he'll do it again.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

At this point in his career, i´m very thankful that he only signed a 4 year deal.
As much as he is a stud in the regular season, come PO time, he starts performing magic tricks. Chief amongst them, he disappears. We can´t afford to have our Captain go AWOL when it matters most.
He needs to do A LOT MORE in the Playoffs. Injured or not, you go till you can´t go no more.

To answer the topic, no, not yet. Unless we can cook a blockbuster trade for AM.
I´d give him one more season. If, by the end of the next season, his performance doesn´t improve significantly, he needs to be traded for the best return possible.

It is not about regular season hockey .. i have no doubt he scores 50 goals next year .. da real issue is he can't skate fast enough in playoff hockey to create any separation for himself .. da playoffs game pace increases 10% and he does not have da ability to increase his speed .. so he gets puck taken from him constantly or he makes stupid passing decisions as he avoids contact .. either way it will NEVER EVER EVER lead to a Cup with Matty .. bottom line he is a nice 2nd line playoff C to have but at his CAP hit based on regular season performance it makes no sense for any NHL team who wants a Cup .. same issue applies to mitch too

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Why are people so against blowing it up and doing a rebuild? What are you holding onto at this point?

Because it makes no f***ing sense.

#1 when was the last time you saw a division winner blow it up in the off season?

I can't think Of a single time.

#2 they just hired a Stanley cup winning coach less then a year ago, Berube is not going anywhere and he's not a rebuild coach.

#3 Treliving was hired less then 2 years ago he's not going anywhere and he's not a rebuild GM.

#4 they JUST brought in Carlo and Laughton they aren't blowing it up.

There is a difference between change and stupidity.

Blowing it up would be stupidity.

 

[rielledup]

Teams that just win the Division don't rebuild. What people are for or against is irrelevant.

It's an extreme solution to an extreme situation. Can you think of another example in the history of the league where a team was this good for this long during the regular season with only two series wins in the playoffs?( If we end up losing this series)

I know you're probably right about the fact that they won't do it, but I'm asking why would anyone be against it?

 

[ToneDog]

Because it makes no f***ing sense.

#1 when was the last time you saw a division winner blow it up in the off season?

I can't think Of a single time.

#2 they just hired a Stanley cup winning coach less then a year ago, Berube is not going anywhere and he's not a rebuild coach.

#3 Treliving was hired less then 2 years ago he's not going anywhere and he's not a rebuild GM.

#4 they JUST brought in Carlo and Laughton they aren't blowing it up.

There is a difference between change and stupidity.

Blowing it up would be stupidity.

They won't blow it up but sometimes it is better to blow it up sooner than later. Once Matthews' contract is up, this team will be a bottom feeder for years.

 

[ACC1224]

It's an extreme solution to an extreme situation. Can you think of another example in the history of the league where a team was this good for this long during the regular season with only two series wins in the playoffs?( If we end up losing this series)

I know you're probably right about the fact that they won't do it, but I'm asking why would anyone be against it?

I don't think anyone is against change, it's the approach where opinions differ.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

I don't even care at this point. Do something remotely interesting or different and I'd be excited again

 

[rielledup]

Because it makes no f***ing sense.

#1 when was the last time you saw a division winner blow it up in the off season?

I can't think Of a single time.

#2 they just hired a Stanley cup winning coach less then a year ago, Berube is not going anywhere and he's not a rebuild coach.

#3 Treliving was hired less then 2 years ago he's not going anywhere and he's not a rebuild GM.

#4 they JUST brought in Carlo and Laughton they aren't blowing it up.

There is a difference between change and stupidity.

Blowing it up would be stupidity.

Can you think of a single example in the history of the NHL where a team has been this good during the regular season for this long and only had 2 series wins ( if we lose this series)?

What reason do you have to think that anything is going to change? Even if we don't resign Marner and JT there's only so many good players available through singing or trade to make use of that cap space and a bunch of other teams trying to improve. We'd probably be hard pressed just to make the playoffs next year trying to replace a ppg center and 100 point winger.

 

[Mentat]

Teams that just win the Division don't rebuild.

True. We don´t need a rebuild per se. It´s abundantly clear that this core group of players is never getting it done. Ever. We need to get rid of parts of the core, bringing in fresh blood, in order to progress as a team.
The only guy out of the core 5 i really want to stick around is Willy.
I know that trading AM34 is a highly highly unlikely scenario, unless he asks for a trade.
That leaves MM, JT and MR. I´d start with those 3.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

They won't blow it up but sometimes it is better to blow it up sooner than later. Once Matthews' contract is up, this team will be a bottom feeder for years.

When the time comes if they do it right it won't take that long.

Just because teams like Buffalo and Detroit have been rebuilding since the birth of the sun doesn't mean it has to take that long.

It means they did it wrong and continue to do it wrong.

How long did our last actual rebuild take? And let me be clear I'm not talking about the years they were trying to win and sucked anyway there were a few of those.

I'm talking about from the time they commited to the rebuild to the time it ended.

I'd say 2 years.

2015 and 2016.

by the end of those 2 years they were filled with young talent and ready to go.

Now that was faster then normal granted.

But ANY rebuild in ANY sport that takes over 5 years is being done wrong.

 

[ToneDog]

When the time comes if they do it right it won't take that long.

Just because teams like Buffalo and Detroit have been rebuilding since the birth of the sun doesn't mean it has to take that long.

It means they did it wrong and continue to do it wrong.

How long did our last actual rebuild take? And let me be clear I'm not talking about the years they were trying to win and sucked anyway there were a few of those.

I'm talking about from the time they commited to the rebuild to the time it ended.

I'd say 2 years.

2015 and 2016.

by the end of those 2 years they were filled with young talent and ready to go.

Now that was faster then normal granted.

But ANY rebuild in ANY sport that takes over 5 years is being done wrong.

It took 3 years to draft 16, 88 and 34. A rebuild is much faster when you draft a generational talent but this team will be starting behind the 8 ball when it is time to start a rebuild because they have mortgaged the future and have very little in the pipeline IMO.

 

[LeafGrief]

If management watched the arena empty halfway through the third period of a second round Game 5 and isn't seriously considering blowing it up, they're completely brain dead.

With all due respect to the posters above me who are writing posts about how division winners never blow it up, but you're both in the top 1% of hard-headed posters on this forum. It would be easier to teach my cat English than to convince either of you of anything. You do you, nothing wrong with being stubborn and I love the gumption to stand out from the rampaging herd, but damn my dudes, in all of these different threads the undercurrent of the fanbase, beneath the roiling anger is a growing sense of apathy. People aren't just mad, they're checking out.

If MLSE only cares about money, as is so often argued, then the five bell alarms are going off about fanbase apathy. A few years of apathy from a fanbase can destroy market share in a way that takes a decade to recover from. Money from 3-5 playoff home games every year for the next five years isn't financially worth losing a generation to apathy.

If MLSE cares about being running a serious hockey program (no, I don't believe it either) then they look at the results of the last PICK A DURATION OF YOUR CHOICE and make a change. They won the Division? Raise a f***ing banner if you like, but they're going to do the exact same shit next year and the year after that and the year after that. Remember how stubborn you are? Well, this Leafs team is pretty obviously as stubborn as you and I have eight or nine years of evidence for you and this team to point to.

Ultimately, I expect that you will be right. They won't trade Matthews. But I will disagree with your reasoning. It won't be because they want to keep a good team together, it won't even be that they're stubborn. Shanahan was stubborn, but we all know he's getting fired. If they don't trade Matthews and give this team the exorcism that it needs, it's because they're cowards.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

It took 3 years to draft 16, 88 and 34. A rebuild is much faster when you draft a generational talent but this team will be starting behind the 8 ball when it is time to start a rebuild because they have mortgaged the future and have very little in the pipeline IMO.

I didn't include the Nylander year because they were trying to win that year, they signed Clarkson, and traded for Bollard and signed Raymond.

That wasn't a rebuild year, that was a we are trying to win but we suck anyway year.

That was the last year before they commited to the rebuild

 

[Mentat]

If management watched the arena empty halfway through the third period of a second round Game 5 and isn't seriously considering blowing it up, they're completely brain dead.

As long as they keep selling out Scotiabank Arena, i doubt they care.
As long as the bottomline is on the green, i doubt they care.
We´ve been in the worst possbile scenario for a few seasons now. Too good to get high draft picks, too inadequate to go for a Cup run.
Has anything of significance changed?

I do hope i´m wrong and some massive moves are made this off season.

 

[The Iceman]

Jordan Staal just scored a goal in an elimination game in round 2, so no .....

For his first of the playoffs...