100% it is worse than you think. Remember Nylander wanted $8.5 million but "settled" for $6.9 million last time round.

Willy will demand $10 + million on a long term deal.

Slightly rich IMHO but if you have to overpay a little to keep your stars happy, you do it. I think 8-8.5M would have been the sweet spot but if it needed to be 9.15M to get it done, just do it. Pinching pennies with star players while they're in their prime is never worth it.

Slightly rich, and in line with the market, but when 70 pt guys get 9mil, and Tage Thompson (after 1 successful season) gets his payday, it makes a guy like Koneckny (at 5.5mil) who is a 52 pt guy over 82 games on an equally offensively bankrupt team (including 4 of the top 6 forwards missing 25 games or more last season) a huge BARGAIN. Barzal is the better player, dont get me wrong, but I worry for the game when 70 pt guys get 9mil or more, waiting for the "game's cap growth" to justify the current payday.

It also doesn;t help when Robertson signs a few days later a pretty friendly deal

and this is why everything goes back to the leafs.

Don't have to worry about that, when the Leafs hire a new GM, Nylander won't be around

Overpayment. Over paying doesn't guarantee production.

such an overpay

Total overpay ... Should have waited for next season to actually see how he is and whether he would adapt. It is not like he can demand more than that contract given that even Tkachuk who is much much better than him took 9.5 million. Terrible deal. QO of 10 million doesn't justify it. Contract is fraught with risk. 8 million would have been better

Brutal contract for the NYI. Barzal is a one-dimensional player with limited goal-scoring ability and below average defensive ability. Trotz took the blame for last season and now the pressure is on. I think they're sentenced to mediocrity for the next decade. Well done Lou.

That's what it cost to play for NYI I guess. Seems like not many of their players are willing to take discounts to stick around

Yeah. I mean $5M AAV for Kyle Palmieri makes Barzal look like a steal.

This is an awful take. Barzal is the furthest thing from one dimensional. Trotz took the blame because he was. A terrible coach .

Pelech and Pulock both took discounts

Neither of those guys took discounts, if anything they were fair value for what they are now, and they're being paid until their mid 30's.

Pelech could have gotten 7 mill as a UFA, Pulock closer to 8. They signed the deals after Seth Jones and Darnell Nurse signed theirs and both Pelech/Pulock are significantly better than both. Under 7 mill for a #1 defenseman is under market value.

Neither are #1 defenders. They simply don't put up the points to say that. Sure they're great in transition and defense, but points are usually what gets you paid.

They are #1 defenders , the model includes point production to factor in the market value. If Pulock put up 45-50 pts his market value would be higher.

Defenseman can’t control a forwards S% and the isles finishing talent was below average.

Guess we have different definitions of #1 defenders them. I'd agree they're #2 type guys, but there aren't a whole lot of #1's in this league and I don't think either of them are that

I just don't know why everyone was so high on this team coming into the season. They're miles from playoff contention. I had them 7th in the Metro. Maybe they'll jump to 6th if Sorokin has another big season between the pipes. That forward group though...Ouch. I'm seeing a lot of buyouts next summer.

No one was high on them, but there’s no shot they finish 7th. They have a decent shot as a wild card team, but sure there’s a chance they miss the playoffs. You’re choosing to ignore that they have a top 5 D core to push your narrative.

The isles need to cut ties with some of the vets on bloated contracts and replace them with guys on ELC like Raty and Dufour. They have a solid foundation with Barzal and Wahlstrom,

They definitely do not have a top 5 Dcore. You are overvalueing them. They lack a true top end defender

They definitely do, Pelech and Pulock have been top 20 defenseman over the last 3 seasons and Dobson is already an elite defenseman.

Somehow I completely forgot about Dobson, yeah you are definitely right.