The Toronto Maple Leafs have decisions to make… I think they should move John Tavares… but he’s basically unmovable with his $11 Million AAV. Should the Leafs consider an alternative with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner or William Nylander? What do they do with Dubas gone??
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26 Comments
Your assuming he’d ever waive his NMC. Not happening you’re stuck with him
Leafs fans need to be a bit more educated. FLA may win the Cup… & finished 16th !! There are at least 16 teams that can all win – so 1/16 chance. The main goal is to get to the Top16 w best team possible. In reality Dubas did that !!! In reality you, leafs fans, media…. would have been going nuts to fire everyone if they assembled the FLA roster & finished 16th. As for Tavares – 2 yrs left…. that was the deal… & he is doing fine so far (most big contracts fail at the end). He had 8 pts playoffs, 36 goals 80pts RegSeason…. These were all 1 goal games – determined by a couple of plays… refs… Likely have to ride it out…. & look at Hol. McCabe, & Gio as the guys with high minus. Either take another shot next Yr or sell Mathews & Marner & try to rebuild …. for 5 yrs from now…. but key is; Leaf fans don't really have a special right to win every yr??
GET RID OF HIM
Does the board have the stones to move Matthews or Marner?
You can't put all the blame on Tavares. The whole core didn't show up in the second round. With his NTC one of Marner, Matthews and Nylander will be dealt. Probably at the draft.
Funny thought make him retire. Then he can take Speeza spot to the new GM.
Look at the Panthers playing like warriors. The only playoff worthy Leafs are Rielly, Bunting, O’Rielly,, Schenn, McCabe…. Dam they should have played Simmons in the 2nd round.
Not clickbait at all.
Ok…
But demote him 4th liner or better yet send him to the minor's…
67
I thought he was like 9 or 9.5 Tavares last two seasons, but remember it's overpaying not that anyone is underperforming
He'll be a trade deadline move next year. With the leafs paying half the remaining salary. If the Leafs were smart they'd trade Mathews to Chicago for that 1st rd pick and pick up a star goalie for Bunting and add ons. This is the way…
Yes the breakthrough in playoffs a bit, but great team took years to figure it out
Tavares is the Only one of the Four that deserved the contract they got from Dubas! He had put his time in the League, played for Canada many times and was a winner… he was the Captain of a Team that gave him very little to work with in the Island.. Then he comes home to Toronto, a team he more than any of the Four loves this team. He wasn’t known to be fast at any point in his career.. he is still a solid centre man with Good face off numbers. He still plays in the dirty, physically demanding areas of the ice.. in front of the Net. This allows the others the opportunities to score the goals and he does pot home rebounds.. So at 32 yrs of age and with a Lot more miles on his body he isn’t the problem! How can Matthews be a scoring Machine all season and not Produce a Fraction in the Playoffs of what he does in the regular season? But you still love this guy. Marner is the same, points during the season then disappears in the Playoffs again and again! Willie is the Only one who, since last years playoffs has been a consistent player in regular season and the playoffs! So since many say this is Matthews team then hold his Unproductive ass accountable and Marners right along with him! They got contracts before they proved anything in the league.. Dubas gave them huge deals based on their potential not accomplishments! He paid them stupid money way too soon! Neither of them had paid their dues like JT had before he got his big contract.. which he deserved.. it may be a little high but that’s all it is! I’d say that Marner and Matthews are the two that have let the Team and the Fans down! I doubt that Matthews will stay in Toronto when the time comes.. he wants to go back to the US.. probably not the Desert but an American team none the less. He doesn’t really give a crap about Toronto.. he says it because he has to.. he doesn’t love the Team like JT does. Marner is all about himself.. if he cared about the team he wouldn’t have held out like a suck when he didn’t get the offer he thought he deserved.. They did over pay Willie at the beginning but his contract looks good now with the way he is playing! He is by far the most consistent of the four! Tavares is playing like he always has.. being a solid face off guy and doing the dirty work so others can get the pretty goals !! Package a good deal now for Matthews or Marner and get the biggest return possible now while you can! Solid D man would be one of the things needed along with a digger who works like Hyman did! He shouldn’t have been let go! But that’s another Dubas error!
The Leafs continue to amaze us and not in a good way. So much talent wasted!
What you Snowflakes fail to understand is that Taveras is the one getting the crap kicked out of him in front of the net game in game out. That alone will shorten his career substantially. With that said, who else is going to do it, Marner ?? Taveras wasn't the mistake, it was signing a forever hurt Matthews. Marners a great play maker, but he still needs a gritty player in front of the net. Don't worry about losing players that can score 50 goals during the regular season. It means absolutely nothing if they can't take any playoff punishment. And that has always been the Leafs problem for many many years. Yes it sells tickets during the season. But that's all it's good for. Anyways Toronto will always sell out win or lose.
If Tavares doesn't waive his NMC and the new Leafs GM is forced to move a player like Matthews or Marner instead I think Tavares will have a rough couple remaining years with the Leafs fan base.
I agree in changes to the core however it's not J T it's Mattews.
Allow me to elaborate.
Like all True Leaf fans we are absolutely entitled our criticisms.
I've spent some time thinking about why some flourish in the playoffs and others don't. It's not a skill thing it's a heart thing.
J T has heart Marner has heart Nylander became a much deeper player this yr 40 goals not bad for a guy yr over yr has gotten better! He is also cheap, but not for long Willy is going to get paid, and he is going to get better. Morgan a gunslinger period. That leaves A M and he did not have a great year he did not show up in the 2nd rd. But that's the same narrative every yr with the highest paid Leaf.
If Kyle wasn't so loyal to the core A M would have already been traded.
So why is this? Well when Auston was becoming the 1st pick at the draft and he was playing in Zürich under Marc Crawford.
He played on big ice and he had the space to be creative less physical and less pressure!
He hasn't adjusted because he dosen't posses a killer instinct period! because he didn't have too!
I don't care about his personal accolades it's Logo first. Either I'm right or Auston is the most unlucky player for 5 straight yrs now. Mitch had 10 points in the Tampa series, Willy actually got more physical and produced. Auston did not. He was a no show for a very winnable Columbus series, we had a 3 – 1 series lead in the Montreal series and were was Matthew's. J T is experienced but also concused in that series. We also lost Muzzin in those series, we had the same lead against Tampa and lost again Matthew's again protected by Dubas saying he was injured. Everyone is hurt in the playoffs it's part of the quest.
Look Kyle should have evaluated Keef better and Keef should have gotten more from Auston and it didn't happen.
We can't afford to be held accountable to Auston as a player we can't trade by July 1st because Kyle gave him a no trade clase in his final yr, extending him for 8 yrs at 14+ Million with a no trade clause is madness. Finally J T was a 60% faceoff man this yr and similar in subsequent campaigns. We need to replace Keef we need to trade Auston and use his cap to actually go get actual playoff studs and a stud defence. I know this is long of me but A M is a boat anchor that is dragging down this opportunity that's our window now.
Even Wayne Gretzky was traded back in the day and Edmonton won another cup as a result. It's time for the Leafs to get kicked in the ass and has been for some time!😮
Tavares no movement clause applies to his skating.
in nhl 23 i traded Tavares(2.5 million salaray retention) and two second round picks for stamkos
U all wanna talk about tavares but he is the 1 who got leafs passed 1st round 1st time 19 years and he actually should play on the wing and maybe take a pay cut if ur a true leaf fan
NEVER THE SAME PLAYER AFTER HIS SON WAS BORN .
The first challenge is simply getting him to agree to be traded at all. He has young kids and is settled in Toronto. He doesn't want to leave. You gotta get past that hurdle first. Strip the C off him if he doesn't voluntarily go. Put him on the 4th line or in the press box until he agrees.
Toronto can't afford to have two or more $11 million dollar players.
Keep Tavares, Marner. Trade Willie and Austin. Bring two forward that can grow beards.
Determine 2 or 3 sets of pairs and play around with the third. Keep Morgan, O Reilly, Accari, McCabb Geo (lighten work load for regular season, so he is not exhausted for play offs).
Worst signing the leafs made. 11 million for 7 years has destroyed the leafs