Big John T
Joined: Sep. 2018
Posts: 468
Likes: 84
Day 1 of the season the (undisputed) rumor was Dubas had offered 8 years x $6.000 million = $48 million
by waiting for 31% of this season, the offer increased to $6.9 million (reported elsewhere) x 6 years, after which he is UFA
=> 5.69 x $6.9 = $39.621
If Willie earns more than $8.7 million at age 28-29 in 2024+2025, he will have made more money.
caveats:
- Willie doesn't sustain a career ending injury
- There is no lockout, or the Day 1 offer did not include being paid with a signing bonus during the lockout year
- He is not traded to a team that is so much worse than the Leafs, so that his lifetime earnings past age 30 with the Leafs ends up being higher than going UFA 2 years earlier
The Leafs' future plans: If they don't want to keep Willie long term, the time to trade him is this season to allow for extending Gardiner+Matthews+Marner and to save 1 protected slot in the Seattle expansion draft