Go for Skinner who’s a natural LW instead of Duchene. Skinner would also cost less and might take a discount to play for his home team. I’d also look at getting Myers over bringing back Gardiner.

If rangers give marner an offer it will be for $1 less than the 4 1st round pick compensation.. toronto could match yes, but i mean.. good luck since you cannot trade him for a full calendar year for matching

Gardiner will sign at 5 mil to stay in tor

Everything actually isn't too bad here. But I don't see Toronto having to give up a 1st plus Connor Brown to get Puljujarvi if that's the case. Puljujarvi more of a project at this point and a deal straight up for Brown makes more sense.

But I've been saying for awhile now that if Marner won't take $10M or less to let him walk, take the picks and use the cap space for other areas. Mighta actually worked against Marner to wait till last to sign cause the Leafs can give him a hard number that they won't go over and it'll probably be less than what he wants. But now they are the areas they need to spend to improve on and if he doesn't want to be part of the solution 4 1st round picks is the minimum return which is pretty good. Even better if the team that signs him doesn't make playoffs and they become unprotected lottery picks with a shot at 1st overall

That would be 5@10,148,301
Leafs easily match
Also, why would Mitch sign an OS for that when he can get around that with little issue?

I'm not saying he would. I'm just saying the rangers wouldn't give up the 4 1st round picks is all. It's a mill difference between what you posted, but it'd be for 5 years not 6

wow, this is impressive. You've traded Marner, trade Marleau (never gonna happen), underpaid Kap, and still are over the cap without a full roster. impressive.

NYR isn’t going to offer sheet Marner for that much.

“Greedy” yet you overpaid Matthews Tavares and nylander.....yikes.

So if Marner won’t sign for less than Matthews and Tavares just let him walk? Fair enough who replaces the point production and depth at rw? Sign skinner or Duchene who are worse for 8-9 million? Hope nylander has a better year? Yeah lose a generational player who rivals Matthews for best player on the team bc you overpaid nylander and Matthews. Just trade nylander for picks and a cheap roster player and move on

Lol. Neither Matthews or Marner are "generational" players ?

Let Marner walk, take the 4 1sts and the production is made up if they sign Skinner or Duchene or whoever plus Nylander obviously won't be as bad after he has a full training camp and season to produce. Marner has 94 points, if the Leafs signed Skinner he had 63 points and Nylander easily gets at least 31 points and there's the production. Lol. Plus with the additional cap saved they can add a d-man and help prevent more goals which makes up the difference more too. Plus they have 4 future 1st round picks. It's not the worst idea out there. Matthews and Tavares get more because they're centres. Centres do more than wingers for an all around complete game and it's a tougher position. They're both also goal scorers which get paid more than play makers.. Dubas said both of those facts. Marner won't get Matthews/Tavares money in Toronto. If he wants that, he can sign an offer sheet somewhere else or the Leafs can trade him and still get a massive haul for him. People are just blindsided by hi because he's a local kid. But if he's not a team player and just wants more money, Toronto can still win without him.

Ottawa really doesn't need contract that costs them money to reach the cap floor. Sure the sweetener will be more and Leafs hope it happens. What with that Puju trade with Edmonton. Leafs aren't giving up first and Brown to get an AHLer in return. No team wants Gardiner for eight years. If the Leafs can waste 5.8 and 8m on Gardiner and Duchene...they can certainly afford Marner

So toews did more than Kane? Or stamkos did more than kucherov? How about Johnny hockey did less than mon? Marner isn’t a jake guentzel or a skinner who’s stats inflate playing with elite type centers. Your point seems to be dated. Who carriers who does Kuzy/ Bäckström carry Ovechkin and his 50+ goals? Wingers can dictate a game and up the play of an okay center. Look at strome in chi? Marner should get every penny Matthews got idc that “centers do more” marner was the better player and hasn’t been hurt every year

Also generational might have been a level or 2 too high haha

You raise some fair points, capsin.

You're a flyer fan, I think? Why don't you put together a Philly AGM with a trade or an OS for Marner and have them pay him AM money if you think he's worth that, and if you really think he's that good? I'd love to see that...

Caps in 9. Capitals fan... seemed obvious ha.

Love leaf fans though. Can’t make it out of the first round but you’ll let your best player walk bc you overpaid 2 other players haha I love it

Caps in 9.. how did I miss that?

If Marner walks that would be his choice, because Im sure he'll get a fair offer from the leafs. The leafs can't make him sign it, and Marner can't force the leafs to pay him more than he's worth. Well he can try, but then the leafs just take those 4 firsts from that mythical team that will certainly OS him..

How about a trade offer from the caps? Marner would look great with Ovie. Whatever pieces you'd need to move out would be worth it to accomodate Mitch at 11M plus.. and the caps would only be a better team for doing it..

Capitals don’t need marner. Sounds silly but we won a cup with this roster unfortunately injuries mix with Kuzy playing terrible and other stuff cost us. But caps could move Holtby and nisk that frees up 11 million but Wilson oshie are a solid top 6. I could see penguins moving guys to Os him.

Teams that need marner would be az Florida devils maybe. Playoffs bubble teams with cap

Marner isn't the Leafs best player.. & 1 player can't carry a team the whole way. Even McDavid couldn't. & if player are being stubborn and want a ridiculous amount of money that they aren't worth, you move them for assets to make the team better. Marner was 60 point player until Tavares signed and played with him. So you're justification that "wingers can make players better too" has some logic to it, but that fact puts it to sleep.

Theoretically speaking, if Marner were to sign an offer sheet, the return is massive for Toronto. They could use that money to sign a player like Skinner, say he makes $8M then. There's an extra $3M in cap space to spend on a d-man to improve the team. That also allows the team to have Skinner play with JT still, keep the Matthews, Johnsson and Japanen line together, move Nylander to 3C and allow them to trade Kadri for an upgrade on defence. Plus they still have 4 future 1st round picks which could be lottery picks of the team Marner went to doesn't make playoffs.
So by letting Marner her his offer sheet somewhere else, Toronto could theoretically get:
4 future 1st round picks
A replacement top 6 forward
Upgrade to the defence
$3M in cap space

... as a Leafs fan, I'd take that. Makes the team more of a contender.

In all honesty, he probably signs in Toronto but it'll be for less than he's asking. Toronto has all the leverage now. & its a huge price to pay of all the 1st round picks for another team to sign him. He wants to be in Toronto, I find it very hard to believe he won't be

Driving and didn’t read all that but McDavid took the oilers farther than Matthews ever did in the playoffs

Yeah, I know you guys don't need Marner, you have a great team, and I'm really just taking the p*ss out of you here..

The point I'm making, and probably a little more blunty each time I do it, is that the Leafs don't really need Marner at 11M plus either. If it comes down to that, then I hope the leafs have the stones to take the 4 firsts.. there's other ways to move forward besides making Mitch the highest paid winger in the game.

I think this is exactly right. But i'm almost enjoying blowing up the logic behind how Mitch holds all the cards and the leafs need to pay him AM money. They don't. And they won't. I'm almost certain that a reasonable deal gets done.

This Marner =12M narrative should start to die down soon, I think. I hope. If not, 4 1sts is a nice compensation package..

Why not have the highest paid winger you have 2/3 of the highest paid centers? And you don’t need marner at 11 million but you didn’t need Tavares at 11 million or Matthews at 11m+ either. You guys set a ridiculous standard by overpaying superstars that it’s hard to expect guys like marner to not want what his peers/ equals are making. What’s Reilly going to make in a few years or Anderson? I don’t blame you guys for wanting this trend to stop but your gm folder like a chair with Matthews and nylander. Tavares was a ufa so you are generally going to overpay them. Your points are well received but my point is that you can and based off past contracts should pay him 10.5-11m and just trade nylander who is a lesser player that doesn’t have as big of an impact

What’s taking my p*ss. Seems weird? Whatever makes you happy.

not to mention they could take some of those firsts and package it with a prospect for a guy like Spurgeon maybe, with money retained, and still make the cap work..

Because the leafs really want Mitch, and I believe Mitch really wants to be a leaf, I doubt any of this happens and he comes in on a reasonable deal.

But when you start to dig into it.. the leafs really could be a better team if they did let him go on a OS..

Duchene's a more a complete player and we can never have too many centers, so... I don't know. I think, if you're downgrading raw talent and upside (as would be case if leaving Marner to offer sheets), getting a player who can slot in on the wing and center would be wise. And if Gardiner's back is good to go, I hope the Leafs find a way to bring him back -- he plays the way the team should: able to move the puck effectively.