Eye test... but no one ever will accept that

Wonder if it's because he's playing with Matthews/Marner/Tavares??? Don't get me wrong. I'm an equal opportunity critic. My own team the Hawks...D Strome...he doesn't carry that second line. Debrincat does. There's a huge difference between being the driving factor a line is successful and helping make a line good.

other fan bases say we overrate marner during the season and then thinks he deserves 2-3 more than market value during the off season

You are not wrong, Nylander could score 35 goals and have 65 assists this season and lead the team in points and win the art ross and people on here will say its because of something else. Not because he's an ultra talented player who just turned 23 years old and has still a lot of growing as a player to do. Of course playing with Matthews helps, but Nylander has been a possession monster and a offensive driver since he entered the league regardless of who he plays with. His line in the playoffs last year tilted the ice in his favour by a wide margin. Its not his fault that Brown and Marleau can't play at all.

congratulations on watching hockey games, no one does that. you're a real hero by noticing marner take the puck into across the blueline a few times.

youre a clown

ya becaus ethe eye test is bias.

for example JT is great at driving play but he does it through smart positioning, smart short passes and a very accurate shote and underratteds strength.

MM does it by his speed, agility and vision which is way more exciting to watch.

Both are super valuable but one looks way better than the other.

this is why corsi, x, and GAR exist. they are models and are not perfect but they show how players can drive shots and goals for their teams. Watching the games you can see how.

The eye test is useful to see what players strengths are and putting them in a position to succeed (ie 20-17-18 JVR).

Obviously MacKinnon is better than Tavares, Mackinnon is probably the 3rd best C in the league to Sid and Connor.... Marner probably deserves more than Rantanen on the back of that, but Rantanen's ask is in the 9 mil area, Marners should be a little higher like 9.5 imo.... again Idrk it depends on so many other factors. Like Colorado have cap space to burn for fun

I think we're getting closer to an agreement here! Yes he played with Brown and Marleau and it might be a factor. Another factor is Babs demoting him for skipping camp combined with him not being ready to play when he can back...that's a chicken egg debate in itself, BUT Big Willie also played with Matthews and Johnsson for the last 21 games of the season and while better...wasn't great either.

I actually do hope TOR and him specifically play well. He should have a chip on his shoulder and be looking to prove everyone wrong. Truly I do hope him the best. I also really enjoy watching TOR play. That game against CHI was amazing. I just have a very hard time seeing how Dubas won that negotiation on (2) 61 points seasons...and then he follows that up with a 27 point season...and then Dubas won? It's far from over though...I agree with that.

https://frozenpool.dobbersports.com/players/william-nylander

Well then I am really getting confused, most non Leaf fans think Marner should become the 2nd highest paid player in the league, I'd be thrilled with a 9.5 million dollar contract if it was 6 years or more.

That's the issue is the term. I'd expect 9.5 x 3 or 11.whatever matthews makes for 5, no RFA's are gonna take longer deals because they want their payday at the first possible instant

That is not true, Nylander played a 9 game stretch with Matthews before getting put back with Kadri to finish the year. In those games with Matthews, Nylander had 10 points and then Babs in all his wisdom thought it made the most sense to put Kapanen back with Matthews. Kapanen who finished with 2 goals in the final 3rd of the season. Nylander could score 90 points this season and I wouldn't at all be surprised.

9.5 x 3 and yet Rantanen is going to go long term for less. This is where non leaf fans show they are just being ridiculous.

I'd expect no longer than 4 years for rantanen, he's yet to prove he can do it without MacKinnon. Marner had a booster year too, both are gonna get overpaid, but it does also have something to do with the fact Marner is easier on the eye to watch than others

Fan logic is so weird to me. You guys are fighting hard on line to get these guys huge deals and if there is a lockout, all of you will flock to the owners side saying players are making too much.

i'd be fine with the owners getting shafted in a lockout. billionaires aren't exactly hot right now with the general public.

You keep making solid posts.

I am in danger of going on a political rant of epic proportions. I'd rather support a fan lockout and am going jump off on that.

six pages on a thread only posted a few hours ago???? I see the Leaf Defense Force were ready today...

Keep up the fight fellas! The internet can be vanquished!!!

I have agreed with you in past ACGM's about young players getting paid their worth early on in their careers but I have failed to put into words why this may not necessarily happen.

Think about young players and the amount of leverage and the rights they have coming into the league. As the NHLPA goes into negiotations every time there's a new CBA to be bargained it has to take into account what the majority of player base wants.

Is the majority of the player base full of elite players? I'd say no. The majority is made up of the middle and lower skilled players and because the NHLPA has to represent everyone fairly, the rights and leverages young players get sacrificed because those players have the least amount of tenure.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just that younger people (players in this case) have get some tenure under their belt before a union (or a PA in this case) will become beneficial for them.

Elite young stars will get paid. Everyone else is going to see their piece of the pie shrink. Older vets will feel it the most.

I think very talented young players should get paid too but you did not address the things I brought up. I'll just say it's going to be fascinating to see how the NHLPA will balance representing the majority of the player base while RFA contracts bloom to levels we have never seen.

The owners won't care either way. It's all about 50-50 as far as they are concerned.