Hellebuyck is good, I don’t think I’d trade Marner for him straight up

Marner's contract is a killer. It's killing the leafs and would kill the Jets. Marner > Helly all day long, but that contract.

The Leafs would have to take a contract back in return to offset Marner.

Maybe add Wheeler for the next 2 years and Jets retain on Wheeler.

Killing the leafs? Lol the leafs currently don't have any bad contracts beyond Murray.

It's a matter of perspective, but... Marner, Murray and Tavares, If TOR signs Matthews as well, their Cap will have those 4 guys eating up half of the cap.

Should say Boston's 1st there instead of that 2024 4th. Only way Buffalo is touching that injury waiting to happen.

A B prospect and a future fourth isn't enough to convince Buffalo to take Matt Murray off your hands. And didn't he turn down a trade there already?

Hawks decline. They aren't trading #51 for a goalie. Unless it's for Murray along w/ the Boston '23 1st.

Yeah he said no to a trade to the Sabres last offseason. It was a really good trade for the Sabres too. He might be willing to do it this offseason now that they appear to be turning the corner to contention.

At best, Murray's trade value remains the same as last season. I think it's declined a bit. Buffalo has their own goaltending problems and they may as well stick with Comrie. Would be more economical to send Murray to a team looking for a backup with half retained and the Boston pick included.

I think that Anaheim, Arizona and Chicago would all be willing to do a Mrazek-like deal for a late second and then buy his @$$ out immediately.

And? It's all good so long as the rest of your contracts don't kill your cap. Paying secondary guys 5+ to do the job a guy who makes 1 million can do is way better than paying a bunch of middle 6 guys too much and not being able to afford a star player.

I just think it's hard for a team to have 4 players eating half the cap and you have to fill the remainder of the roster with $40M. Is it possible and you win? Sure. FLA is similar with 4 guys eating up almost half of the CAP. I prefer the balanced approach like VGK on CapFriendly.

Barkov, Tkachuk, Ekblad and Goalie Bob vs Marner, Tavares, Matthews and Rielly. Similar CAP situation.

Trading Marner for a guy with less term? Make. The. Insanity. Stop.

So what you are saying is, it's obviously not a problem.

I think it's "possible" it's not a problem. I believe that rationally it's better to spread the CAP more and that would be my preference for building a team. The Oilers, Leafs and Panthers seem to be doing well with so much invested in 4 players. So... it's possible. I just prefer the more well balanced approach.

If it's going to be 50% of the cap with 4 players, they better be VERY good. TOR and FLA faced off and it was close, so that's a good case for your point. I just don't like it.

I like the VGK type approach to spreading salaries around a bit more.

It's too close to call.

But, back to the Marner thing. Paying McD, MacK, Sasha, Tkachuk, etc... $10M, I am good with. Despite Marner's year, I still think he's overpaid.

It's probably a bias. I just can't stand the Leafs.

Except its not a balance issue. TO's bottom 6 do score and their top guys score more. Their defence is top 10 in the NHL and I think with the goalies we have we are a very good team. Our top end talent is elite and plentiful not many teams have as many elite players as TO does. They haven't gotten over the top but Jordan took 7 years to win, Ovie 10. I believe their time will come. Taking one of the core away and replacing him with 2 guys who might get 40 points to Nylander's 90 doesn't mean it's money well spent, it means now you are over spending on two guys you've been able to find already for much cheaper. Bunting, Hyman, Brown, Engvall, Kerfoot, Aicarri..... The list goes on. I think this year should have been better but my belief is Keefe isn't a cup winning coach. But the stars are not the problem

As "not a leafs fan" I don't know much about what Keefe does or doesn't do. I do know as a Manager and Coach of elite youth soccer, I DO KNOW that coaches are far more important to teams than most people ever know. Do you really think Keefe isn't the guy? I know that's something Leafs Management is discussing right this moment. Just curious. I was a Babcock fan and they ran him out and now it's Keefe. It's like in WPG with people blaming the coach, when we KNOW the ROT is in the dressing room.

Thoughts?

Keefe is a fine regular season coach but in the playoffs he just doesn't adjust and it cost us. Cost us vs Tampa last year, and it cost us vs Florida. The same small issues have plagued this team. Teams figure out how to take away their strengths and Keefe doesn't do anything to counter. Vs Florida for example, they try to force turnovers and kill you with transition. You beat that by playing a safer brand of hockey based on super tight defensive play, give them nothing easy and they don't score. What did Keefe do? Nothing and they lost. A better coach, like Cooper for example, makes adjustments to the game plan to take away the other teams strength.

It doesn't help that the refs decide to sit out the playoffs after the 1st round. As much as I personally hate that, if you can't beat em, join em. Just get some okay goons to hit everyone and do the cheap dirty stuff that Florida has done so far.

Oh ya... Marner takes the same amount of abuse that Ehlers takes. FLA did so much to Marner that even as a NOT A LEAFS FAN, I was like... SERIOUSLY... WTF????

Ehlers was lined up 5 seconds before he even got to Johanssen with his head down and no puck, just skating up the ice. Johannsen shoulder checked him in the head, knocking him flat and no call. 1 Game suspension with 1 game left in the regular season and Ehlers missed 4 games and probably still wasn't right.

Yup, Cooper, Cassidy, etc... a good coach adapts.

Thanks for the feedback.

Cheers.

Game 5 for TO when they were eliminated was the worst reffing ever. Time expired and Marc Staal launched a massive elbow at Marner's head after the buzzer. No call. On the game winning goal, Gudas skated right at the leafs defender, grabbed his stick and held it and Florida scored. No call. It was brutal.

It's across the board to. They just put the whistles away and it's a free for all.

Also, are you from SK? I grew up in Yorkton.

Cool... a prairie boy. Close. From WPG and now living in CGY. SK = my First and Last initials.

GO BOMBERS GO!!!

Being a rider fan is law when you are from Saskatchewan. But I live in Ontario now so my CFL love has waned a bit.

Then... Gratz on beating the Bombers in last year's Grey Cup. That was a well deserved Argos win and now you have a starting QB that looks interesting because of that win.

Oh I am no Argos fan, if I watch CFL I have to cheer for Sasky