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Lanny_McJagrBomb

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Forum: Toronto Maple LeafsSep. 14, 2021 at 1:44 a.m.
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>BallPuckFellow10</b></div><div>Firstly, I have to say that the way you constructed your response is exemplary. An extremely great read with some very valid points that you backed up nicely with facts. I can't really dispute much you said as it all makes sense, but I have some things I want to discuss.

I have to say that your point regarding bridging Marner makes sense the more I think about it. If his contract expired next summer, he would be paid the exact same amount as he is paid now, So for these 3 years if he was bridged around $7.5-$8M, we would have had some extra cap space to play with. I really didn't think about it that way before you mentioned it.

Secondly, I do disagree with your opinion on the contract putting too much pressure on Marner. Since his draft year, Marner has not been anything other than a stud. He even had an excellent rookie campaign in the OHL almost hitting a ppg while actually doing it in the playoffs for the London Knights, a team that is known for making their young talent have to work and earn that spot in the top six. He did it in his rookies year with players 4 years older than him. His draft year he was the best player on the team when there still was players 3 years older than him. Max Domi who was picked 12th overall in the draft 2 years earlier, was outshone by Marner. We don't even have to talk about the season after his draft year, the numbers a pure comedy, especially in the playoffs. He already had all that pressure built on him when entering the league and still managed to produce an excellent rookie season in the NHL (61 points in 77 games). He survived that kind of pressure, in addition to having Mike Babcock as a coach who at stretches played Mitch on the 4th line. He showed to me at least that he wasn't the kind of player that gets fazed when the pressure builds up. I think he has proven since then that he can handle pressure very well. Somebody has to be the highest paid player on their position, why can't it be Mitch, from a psychological perspective?





While playing him 25 minutes a game in the playoffs is a little bit ridiculous, I don't think Keefe was wrong in riding him and Matthews. They are our two best players without question, and I want them on the ice as much as possible, especially in the playoffs. What I would question is why Nylander is playing more than 7 minutes less, the difference between the two isn't 7 minutes a game different. I didn't view it as Keefe saying ''you wanted that contract, now deliver.'' In my view, it was more of a ''please, bail me out here, I don't know what to do.'' I do like Keefe as a HC, but he couldn't really adapt to JT going down, in a series we were up 3-1 in without him. I don't think Mitch has got too much too soon, I think that is the media narrative around him. From what I have read and seen, he seems like a very humble young man that works extremely hard to improve at a sport he already is one of the greatest currently active at playing it. He never comes off as rude, selfish, childish, spoiled or ignorant that you would link to someone that has got too much in life too early on.

At one point, I would completely agree with you and not have Mitch Involved with the PK anymore. I think it was a waist of his energy and would negatively impact his offensive impact. But, if you look at his production levels during the regular season, he has been on 90+ point pace the least 3 season with the most recent season having a pace for 30 goals and 100 points. This idea I am about to present doesn't have anything statistically to back it up with. It is more of a hunch that I have. I believe Marner is one of those players that just feeds of being involved in the game at all the time, it almost is as if he doesn't have enough time to sit down and think about what is happening, he can sort of just ''feel'' the game if that makes sense to you at all? His hockey IQ is actually through the roof, he must surely be in the top 10 of players in the league with the highest hockey IQ, something I would think defensemen and players that play in the middle would top. My point is that, by playing him in all situations, which won't make you worse at a team at all due to his high intelligence will only benefit him and you as a team, because he almost always impacts the game in a positive way, by making the right play or the impossible play that us casuals could only dream of executing. I wonder if the Leafs ever would give Marner and Kerfoot a chance to play together shorthanded. Their IQ's are of the chart's. I think they could expose some power plays that aren't sharp. Not suggesting that they would lead the league in shorthanded points, but it would also not surprise me.
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I will start with saying that there's ALWAYS more pressure playing hockey in a Canadian city. Now add in the negotiations Marner had and the eventual contract signed, yeah the pressure is ratched up because it's suddenly "put up or shut up" time.

Back during contract negotiations, I was saying similar things to what <a href="/users/leaflet" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@leaflet</a> said in the above post. <a href="/users/Aadoyle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@Aadoyle</a>'s post also very nicely sums up why players get paid more playing for Canadian teams despite taking home less money than players south of the border.

The pandemic really messed things up for Dubas because as others have pointed out, had the cap risen Marner's contract (or Nylander's/Matthews') wouldn't be quite the issue they seem to be ATM.

Lastly, I want to make a point about this site but particularly the people posting here on a daily basis. When Marner's contract was being negotiated, every single non Leafs fan was coming into Leafs discussion threads and saying how Marner deserves the rumored 10 million but as soon as he got that contract, man... the turncoats came rushing out to point out how overpaid Marner is.

There's quite a few hypocrites on this site and they all have something in common. Can you figure out what that is?
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 5, 2021 at 9:53 p.m.
Forum: Trade Machine ProposalsAug. 25, 2021 at 12:33 a.m.
Forum: Armchair-GMAug. 19, 2021 at 6:25 p.m.
Forum: Trade Machine ProposalsAug. 10, 2021 at 3:17 p.m.
Forum: Toronto Maple LeafsAug. 3, 2021 at 3:34 a.m.
Some thoughts.

My wishes for the next season were that:
1. the Leafs manage to design a good shutdown 3rd line, one that the coach will trust in the playoffs.
2. Bogosian be re-signed or someone found to replace him.
3. Keefe avoids playing Matthews/Marner 25 minutes a game, and maybe removes Marner from the PK altogether.

What I got so far:
1. My favourite acquisition is Kampf. I overlooked that player, and it seems like a legit Moneypuck move. Played tough minutes in Chicago, with DZ faceoffs, turning in excellent defensive stats on an average team. Him and Mikheyev (and maybe Kerfoot) could be the basis for an excellent 3rd line, like Tampa's Gourde line. So, I'm rather satisfied, though I wouldn't mind an additional PK specialist/defensive forward.

2. Bogosian leaving for a mega-contract in Tampa is a big issue, imo. I don't see the replacement for what he brought last season. Our top 4 is good, but needs to be used wisely. Then there are injuries. And who plays on the PK aside from Muzzin-Holl? I don't hear that a lot, but my move right now would be to trade a contract (e.g. Kerfoot) for a good defenseman. Defense wins championships.

3. Point 3 is entirely up to the coach. Hard match a checking line against opponents at home. Break up Matthews and Marner if they are cold. Play Nylander more if he's hot.

Unlike most people on social media, I'm not too worried about the top 6. Any player would score 40+ points with Matthews and Marner. I like Ritchie there, to protect the other two. Ritchie, Bunting, Kerfoot, Robertson, Simmonds... Kase. There's a lot of options.