Probably not, but I pointed that out....

Lou would have to be stupid to offer Tavares a contract, but it's not like Tavares would turn one down. Then again if Lou did sign Tavares he could get a lot for Nylander via trade and that is an angle no one has considered... And no it's not that crazy of an idea, the real question would me does Lou have the foresight and the balls to pull such a move off.... A move like that would certainly be ballsy tho - because it would put the writing on the wall that Nylander or Marner will be traded and that may not boast so well for team morale. Bringing in Tavares would create a weird locker room vibe and perhaps resentment.... Because if signs someone is going.. But I wouldn't dismiss the possibility tho because it's happened before.

As far as the Rangers tho I only listed the Rangers because I could really see the Rangers offering Tavares 14 million per. But outside of the most money the Rangers have nothing to offer Tavares.... But we all know the Rangers are going to try to sign Tavares - just because that's what they do, and if they have an opportunity to pluck a star Islander they will do it every time.

Everyone's gonna try to sign Tavares but the Leafs wouldn't be able to offer him that much unless they trade Marner/Nylander ... the Rangers, there is absolutely no way JT would leave the Islanders just to go play a 5 minute drive away.

I know the circumstances with Toronto, my point is that Tavares wouldn't turn down an offer from Toronto..

The Rangers tho, you can bet your ass they're going to make Tavares a massive offer (14 per), however if Tavraes cares about stuff other than money he wont sign... It's the Rangers dude, it's what they do... LOL, you can bet if the Rangers can pluck Tavares from NYI they're going to do it...

But no, I highly doubt Tavares will sign with the Rangers, and Tavares signing in Toronto is purely dependent on Lou and I don't think he's stupid enough to sign him and throw away his long-term plan, but if you're going to toss a plan for any player it would be a player of Tavares skill...... The only reason why I mention Toronto is because Tavares would sign there and you would have to think Lou would be open to moving one of Marner or Nylander if it mean he could improve the team with Tavares, because at the end of the day who's ALWAYS going to be the better player? Tavares, Nylander or Marner - JT will always be the best player of the three........ This is why Toronto is a possibility...

If I was in Lou's shoes and I knew Tavares wanted to sign with me, I would think long and hard about trying to make that happen, and if that meant I would have to trade one of my younger players I may consider it knowing I could get a boatload of assets back for one of them. Tavares is only 27 so he's absolutely young enough to justify trading a younger "core" player if it means you will have a 27 year old of Tavares talent centering a line...

That's too much for me to read right now

Interesting and possible idea. Tavares is for sure a better player than both Marner and Nylander. If we did sign JT we'd likely trade Marner considering Nylander already has a solid place on Matthews' wing. However, I don't see this happenin; blockbuster trades are a major risk, just look how trading Turris messed with Ottawa. Besides I'd hate to see Marner go, due to his incredible skill set, he's got great speed, hockey iq, stick handling, etc. So chances are if JT does hit FA, Lou will spare the locker room mess and just keep to the plan. On the other hand, this is a tough league in which only the best of the best can bring home the Cup, and signing Tavares would most certainly make Toronto among the best of the best, add in the stash of picks and prospects a Marner trade would acquire and you have a Cup winning team. Also factor in the fact that Tavares would likely be open to joining the Leafs in FA, and we have a super hard choice for Lou and management if JT goes unsigned.

Well, my thinking was Lou trades Marner for futures and rolls with Tavares. You could probably get (2) first round picks, (2) prospects and a roster player for Marner. If Lou did that the Leafs would have a stacked team and a cabinet stocked deep with prospects - it's kinda hard to argue against the idea of signing Tavares now eh? lol.. Of course there is always a risk there but at the end of the day it would basically be like trading Marner for Tavares, (2) firsts, (2) prospects and a #5 defenseman or bottom 6 forward.. Of course those picks and prospects could turn into nothing but if they do then that means the Leafs need new scouts or coaches but they still have Tavares... IMO the risk would be worth it... I'm obviously a Hawks fan so I'm looking at this situation objectively.....It certainly an interesting perspective..

The Leafs would be able to make one run at the Cup with Tavares, Matthews, Marner and Nylander tho.

IMO, the downside to this idea would be that there is a good chance that signing Tavares could create some locker room problems, and perhaps some resentment at Lou at the very least. Because if Lou signs Tavares someone knows they're gone after the season - that or someone is getting a lowball contract offer (Marner) lol so that could create some weirdness on the team..At the same time tho, hockey is a business and players should understand that... Also I wonder of Tavares would be OK taking a back seat to Matthews?

It will be interesting to see what Nylander gets tho......I'm shocked the Leafs haven't given him an extension yet..

My guess is at least $7,000,000 I mean he's more comparable to Draisaitl than he is a guy who makes $6,000,000 like RNH.

We will see soon enough.

Nylander should be signed after the playoffs end. I’d guess anywhere from 6.25-6.75 million using Ehlers and Pastrnak to compare.

The comment by HawksFan28... ".I'm shocked the Leafs haven't given him an extension yet.." Apparently it more Nylander's idea than the Leafs to delay the extension. It's not really delayed, Nylander wanted another year to establish a higher value. I wouldn't be surprised if Nylander even didn't want a long term contract but a bridge and hope to cash in bigger in the future (like Trouba).

A guess all teams have a similar issue about signing a UFA, Do we sign a 27 to a 7 year contract at an inflated (UFA) price. It might cost a team a cheaper RFA and more who might develop into good/great player in his peak playing years.

Spot on with the comparables. 6.3 sounds about right for him IMO, but that should be the range he gets

As much as it makes me sad, Jagr. He's at the end of his career. He can't keep up anymore, as evident by the fact he was dropped by the Flames.

Matt Cullen is definitely a goner.

The Sedin twins still have some fuel in them. They're not ancients yet; i'd say they have another year.

Marleau isnt out of the question, he's had a solid year and is a good place to retire. However, he may stay for that ring...

Thornton has some years in him. I'd give him until 40 or 41 to retire.

Braydon Coburn is starting to burn out and is getting to that age; but i'd say he has a couple more years.

Chris Higgins is just a free agent, probably wont be signed again. I'd say he's gone.

Jason Garrison may retire, but he's still pretty decent. I'd give him until 37.