LongtimeLeafsufferer
Joined: Jul. 2015
Posts: 59,065
Likes: 22,462
Here's my take on Dubai's mistakes. And I also blame total Leaf management. Where are all these high priced executives, helping laying out a plan especially getting comparables in contract negotiations.
Matthews contract. At the time, no way should have Matthews have got the second highest salary in the league (after McDavid) especially on a five year deal. Apparently earlier in the year, Matthews offered the Leafs a 5 year deal at 9.5m, but the Leafs turned him down hoping for a longer deal. Then the Leafs agreed to a five year deal at 11.6m, throwing away 2,6m in cap.
One reason Matthews wanted a short term deal was because the incompetent Babcock was coach. Apparently Matthews had little respect for Babcock. Now if Babcock had not been Leaf coach maybe he would have signed for eight years.
Marner. Always a stunner to me. Aho of Carolina who identical stats for two seasons signed a 8.5m X 5 years with Carolina after the Habs offer sheeted him. Somehow Marner got over 2m per season on a six year deal...10.69m, when the deal was made in the same summer as Aho's
I'm not so critical of Tavares contract.....as who was suspect the cap would remain so low due to Covid. Muzzin resigned just prior to Covid, so his 5.6m contract would have been much lower even if he had gone to UFA. Maybe the Muzzin trade wasn't such a big mistake but the extension was.
Horrible signing of Mrzarek and then the trade for the even more expensive Murray
Kadri trade. The Leafs believed that Barrie at RHD was going to make a difference for a year. As it turned out, Barrie (by my analysis ) was the worse Leaf Dman in his only Leaf season. So the trade wasn't for Kerfoot for Kadri, but Kerfoot and Barrie for Kadri. Like Barrie, Kadri would not have resigned as a UFA with the Leafs. I think Kadri's term is way too much in his new contract.
Hyman. Loved Hyman but his 7 year term is too much....
Nothing wrong with Engvall making 2.2m this season, but he will be a UFA next summer.
Leafs over the years....even going back to Fletcher, Quinn, Burke, Lou and Dubas. Given away way too many draft picks or young players due to "going for it" or getting out of bad contracts. One of the most important jobs of a GM is to manage the cap well....and the Leafs haven't done that well at all for generations.
When Matthews, Nylander, Muzzin and Murray are gone as UFA in the summer of 2024, the Leafs will have cap but really few good ELC players to take over their roles. The Leafs have few NHL prospects and certainly even fewer "different maker" prospects.