If a GM isn't lowballing to start, they aren't doing their job.

Absolutely...been preaching on here for a long time that he has no interest in a hometown discount. On 8 years I'd think he'd expect a number larger than Matthews.

Marner's agent is on TSN1050 right now and says that article is taken out of context. Says all contract negotiations start with the team starting low and the agent starting high and then you negotiate and that discussions are going as per normal without any resentment

For some reason the Leafs seem to paying "premium" for signing there own RFAs. Nylander was overpaid. Matthews overpaid, and 11m for Marner would certainly be an overpayment....when comparables are made. I don't blame Marner for comparing his desired salary to to the 11.634m Matthews. But can't you also compare his play/salary to 6.67m Pastrerak. Kuchervov who might be the best player in the league will be making 9.5m starting next year.

I think that if marner is willing to sign 8 x 11 then you sign it and run, he is only going to get better, he was around .80 p/gm his last 2 years and this year its 1.2 p/gm if he stays at this pace for the next 8 years he would be an absolute steal at the back end of this contract.

Do i think Kuch is better than marner yes, but i also think that saving in taxes in Tampa never hurts and waking up on a day off in december and being able to play golf has its perks as well, i get that marner is a hometown kid and always loved the leafs, but it will be interesting where it goes from here.

The thing is 11 would make him the highest paid winger in the NHL. Which to be honest at this point in his career he us not worth my thinking is he will take a 4 year/9.316 AAV. It put him in the top tier for wingers in the nhl which if you look at the matthews contrct he had a lower AAv than McDavid which some can say he's the 2nd best center in the NHL and when you look at the Nylander contract he wanted Drestil money but is't a center so by going that route he gets in the ballpark for his position and he can get his 11 million per on 8 when the cap and proven skill is there. BTW 93 is for his favourite player growing up gilmour and 16 is his jersey number.

Marner is going to be paid. But it isn't going to be for 8 years. Leafs just can't do it. I also think that Dubas has shown he's all for paying what is deserved and the players know it by now. Its a numbers game now and if anyone is going to "help" the team get to the number they need to, its Marner. That doesn't mean he's going to take less money, but he may be willing to compromise on term. Although i would like to see Dubas squeeze out a bit of a discount, god knows we need it.

I completely agree. IMO this is the GM not doing his job. McDavid was an outlier (best player in the world) but I think Eichel, Matthews, Nylander, Marner (to be) and Draisaitl were all massive overpays for RFAs. If you look at the 19/20 cap hit list, those guys are the only ones in the top 50 that didn't have to "pay their dues" to get the big contract. RFAs aren't supposed to get this kind of money.

the drama..

this doesn't need to get messy, but it might. Marner should get paid, and he has a heck of an argument given his play and output compared to AM with the leafs. Should he get more than Kucherov, I don't think so..

at this point, I'd say it be wise for Dubas to keep the train moving foward and focus on getting Kappy and Johnsson signed, and see where they're at. If nothing else it'll give the leafs some certainty and better decision making options to determine what needs to be done. Nylander took alot of flake for his negoitiations, and I could even see our fickle fan base turning on Marner if this gets dragged out. I won't pin any of this on one player, but its less than ideal that the leafs have so many rfas up at the same time. collectively its given the players an edge in negotiations, and its kinda handcuffed forward planning.. and I think its bad practice for any nhl team to have their hands tied when it comes to planning and acting

sign kappy and johnsson, figure out what's left to work with, and if that means we need to trade nylander (if z, brown/hyman, losing gards/hainsey doesn't do it) to rebalance the roster and get some flexibility to keep marner, if even on a bridge at first, then so be it.

agreed. there's been alot of talk on how the superstar rfa's are changing the landscape. i think what gets missed here sometimes, is that one of the results of these mega signings is that teams that pay heavy for the rfas are going to need to trade out their middle class (hyman/brown/z type players) to accomodate those rfa superstars. given that alot of teams are going to need to explore those trades this offseason, I see the value for those types of guys dropping... so, we're gonna get a handful teams that are top heavy in their construction, and other teams that are well balanced with middle class guys on 2-6M contracts. Who wins in this approach? I dunno... but the Islanders look damn good to me this year despite losing JT and they're quietly sitting one point behind the leafs.. gonna get interestin !

I just doubt Marner's willingness to agree to a bridge deal. The thing is, he doesn't have to. It seems that he has already made some sort of discount on his current deal, based on that article in the description.
There are teams who'd probably pay big money to sign him with the maximum deal immediately at July 1st, although the cost might be 4 1st round picks...

Ya, it's going to be interesting to see which strategy wins out. Personally, I believe the balanced roster with at least a slid top 9 will over a 2 line team loaded with 4th liners in the bottom 6.

Dubas gets credit/blame for the contracts but he certainly isn't working in the vacuum. MLSE and all their highly paid executives have been on board with this signings. Who I feel "sorry" for are some of the lower end RFAs. When their contracts are due will Dubas and friends squeeze these guys.... Even worse, for Leafs some of these RFA guys might be offered sheets or because UFAs, because the Leafs can't pay them what other teams will offer.
IMO it will cause dissension among the team, unless they win. Looks like the upcoming pay structure will be a really divide into the Leafs into the elite paid, and "the others". The elite will be expected to be the saviours by their teammates and the fans. If the Leafs don't win, the underpaid minions won't be to blame.

i agree with you here too. hockey, more than any other sport, really is a team game. need to get contributions right across the lineup for numerous reasons, not least of which is that if you rely too much on 3-4 guys and you get hit with the injury bug, then you're very likely up the creek.. Dubas really has some tough decisions coming, and in a less than ideal market where the fan base and media can make things much tougher than it needs to be. i'm sure he's regretting the "we can and we will " comment

I've always thought the offer sheet tactic wasn't very likely. but given the way things are trending I could see a few teams wieghing that option. and not just against the leafs.

the "game" has changed imo. nothing wrong with that..

I agree, I think offer sheets are going to become the norm if high end RFAs are going to be getting double what they should. Should be a lot of mid range guys available for the picking! Smart GMs will eat these up and create great depth throughout their lineup.

things are usually too leaf focussed. this seems like a league wide trend to me and it holds the potential to shake things up in alot of ways. imo, we're going to get two different types of teams in how they are constructed - top heavy with superstars vs more well balanced and stocked with the middle class. who wins? dunno... but everywhere you look the middle class doesn't like the 1% much..

we agree too much, dirty. this shouldn't be happening between a leafs and a flyers fan. and we should really start insulting each other soon... lest this gets weird..

I'm afraid this top heavy payment....and maybe unnecessary payment for the stars. has eliminated much of the Leafs middle class. Will Engall, Marchment, Ennis, Gauthier, Lindholm be forced to have regular minutes and if their is an injury to to the elite, the replacements aren't good enough.
Like your middle class statement. The middle class (everywhere) doesn't like the top elite and also the lower class who will take their jobs for less money.

that's really who's getting their head squeezed here, and i don't for a second believe it doesn't breed resentment within a group. team or society.

what makes this dynamic even more interesting to me is how well vegas did last year (and still doing this year) largely with a team of "cast offs." i expect that the cap, expansion, and the changing rfa/ufa dynamic will result in alot more dark horses and fewer sure bets as to who sits at the top. and like dirty dangles stated, smart gms and savvy teams will exploit this for all its worth and build great depth across their team

I really was hoping that the Leafs would be breaking the High Class and Low Class with no Middle Class system with a numbers guy like Dubas at the helm especially with precedents league wide of comparable players that are better than the Leaf players and have signed for less.

I can list 6 players off the top of my head that I would prefer over Nylander that are around his age and have just signed better contracts but people here typically say that Nylander's contract is the real value and EVERY single player I list are on below value team friendly deals. That is a ridiculous belief.

People use McDavid, Draisaitl and Eichel as the measuring sticks for players contracts but they are from 2 of the worst managed teams in the NHL. That is like using 2 companies on the verge of bankruptcy as your business model. Absolute insanity.

Using Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, etc as the template and people say that the stars their took team friendly deals to keep a championship roster together. I say ' Exactly!!'.

After 45 years of watching the Leafs with a lack of talent and over paid players I was pleased to look at this summer's roster and saw only Zaitsev as a questionable contract. I didn't mind too much as Zaitsev was a Lou signing and not a Dubas deal. We now have gone from expecting a balanced lineup that would compete for a Cup for many years to the horrific days of seeing a top heavy group with no chance at depth.

It sucks being a Leaf fan this long with no hope of winning.

they over paid Nylander, i agree. Not Matthews though. There is definitely a chance they over pay Marner but with the cap restrictions i'd say its less likely. And yes, they will have to get rid of other players. thats how it works

oh, I don't think its all that bad, bulldog. it just means some change is coming, and it might be someone we don't want to lose. maybe nylander will need to go after all?? and they rebalance the roster and cap structure of the team and we become more middle class again. if not we can always eat cake.. and delicious chocolate cake ain't a bad way to sustain ones self..

I think a very important key to becoming and remaining competitve within this changing nhl landscape will be drafting and developing, and the leafs are finally proving to be fairly adept at that. even if we're still having a hard time shaking our tendency for overpaying the stars..

I don't think Marner would see the bridge as a sacrifice...but more as an opportunity get get even more money in 3 years...not ideal for either player or team..but might be the only way they can get to an agreeable number

Would Toronto's monetary situation really change in 3 years? I mean, they'd be pretty much just as f**ked as now since in 3 years they have to re-sign Rielly and Kadri, and Andersen the year before that...