matthews is worth way more then that anyways

No, he isn't.

Pretty much this, additional 4M to spend for the D overhaul next year.....not to mention Hyman proly as next Cap victim cause of that....

the best goal scorer over the past three seasons isnt worth more?

Ring me when he will hit 100 points cause hes paid as he did it for last three years already....on 5y term.....#Lindros

(Ovechkin)

AM is far better at even strength

(Prove it) and not with a single stat lol

That is correct. Over the last 3 seasons he's the most efficient goal-scorer at even strength and apparently he worked on his one-timer during the summer to improve his powerplay scoring which is neat. *sarcastic voice* he only signed for 5 years though so he's clearly an overpaid bum planning on bolting to the poorest NHL franchise ASAP

Sadly your "sarcastic part" is harsh truth....oh wait....he signed for 5y only so in 2024 he will ask for 8 x 20M and help TML Cap with taking less Term at 5 x 18M.......

I agree with Moli. An extra 1m each for Matthews and Marner plus 500,000 from Nylander. Gets you a 23 roster.

I know teams should be paying for "future value" but no way is Matthews worth being paid the second highest paid in the league.

Thats AAV only, if you transfer his $$ into 8y term.......Kutcherovs contract looks like AHL one....

And if he does leave in 5 years or asks for more money then that's his right. I'm not sure why everyone is living in a state of constant fear for what might happen many years from now. Enjoy having one of the best players in the world on your team for the next half decade

Aside from Mackinnon who is drastically underpaid. Who in the NHL deserves the 2nd highest cap hit given their age, production and position they play?

I sorry, Barbs you are correct. I meant to write, Matthews ISN'T worth being paid the second highest paid in the league. Gee he might have been the fifth best Leaf last year. That's for commenting, I have corrected my original post.
Who is the second best player in the NHL. Kucherov was the MVP last year and deservedly so.

Even strength goals per 60. I dont have my computer with me but if you look up league rates AM will surely be up there in almost all offensive categories

I think Kucherov is phenomenal but you have to pay players based on both results and their potential if you want to avoid the bridge contract. Matthews was drafted only 3 years ago and he put up 205 points in 212 games (most of which are goals!). For reference when Kucherov finished his Draft + 3 season he had 18 points in 52 games. It's not crazy to think that by the time Matthews is Kucherov's age, in the prime of his career he could be a far better player. That's not even taking into account how much more talent surrounds Kucherov in Tampa or the fact that he plays wing which is a far less demanding position

I actually dont give a ratsass what he will be up again in 5 years, fact is 2M + 2M overpayment is a handicap that will not allow TML to adress the part with most issues, and thats GAA 20th......SAA 24th......SCAA 27th.......PP 8th........PK 16th....and if i try to paint you that with names ( theoretically ), instead of Rielly - Pietrangelo ( 5M + 7M ) your 1st Pair will be Rielly - Dermott ( 5M + 3M ), so enjoy watching THE BEST PLAYER ( not ) in the world for next 5 years and peeking to those other towns that will roll Stanley Parades inbetween......

Take a breath its all going to be OK. Most teams overpay their mid-level players which is not at all what happened in Toronto. The Leafs definitely overpaid one of their stars (Marner) and (based on some of the fans in this thread) they may have overpaid another (Matthews, although I disagree). The total overpay on both is less than one bad contract that most teams have (Lucic, Neal, Ericksson, Ryan, Kulikov etc). I agree the Leafs have a glaring deficiency and that's on the backend. They did address the issue with a couple of moves that I think will make them better in the interim (Barrie is probably the best RHD the Leafs have had in 20+ years and Ceci is probably just a right-handed Hainsey, which is still an improvement). Its difficult to trade for a stud RHD with term to pair with Rielly. The cost to acquire would likely just cause a bigger hole elsewhere in the lineup which means the only feasible way to add without subtract is through the draft. Have patience, Liljegren and Sandin look like promising prospects who might just surprise you. Defense certainly helps win championships but *points to Pittsburghs back to back Cup banners* it's not the only way