Read the attached regarding Marner since his draft year. Pretty much aligns to what I said. There are other examples online of others voicing the same questions.
https://thehockeywriters.com/2015-nhl-draft-top-10-review/
Time To Trade Marner...
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https://thehockeywriters.com/2015-nhl-draft-top-10-review/
Brilliance.
From the moment he played the puck off the boards in his own end to the drop pass, so effortless.
TB was still a physical team, particularly on their blue line. It also helped that they had the best dman and goalie in the world. They could very well be the Leafs 1st round opponent in this year's playoffs. Nice reward.
Yes, they were but it wasn't from their best offensive forwards. It was everyone else.
I would say the difference between losing 4 straight and winning 2 cups was Hedman more than anything else.
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I never understood Leafs fans who call for Marner to be traded. He is a sublime talent. He isn't a goal scorer like Matthews, but he is such a dynamic force on the ice. There are not a lot of players in this league that can play top level offence and defence. He and Matthews are both amazing defenders, and can score so many different ways!
I do understand the angst about his contract. But he is a leading point getter on this team. If there was no cap (or even a flat cap), nobody would say boo about him. He's worth every penny, and if he was on the open market as a UFA, he'd get that kind of money, easy.
I also think he and Matthews will have break out playoffs this season. They are already getting a lot of pressure from other teams, and have risen above it. Now, we all know the refs sit on their whistles in the playoffs, but considering the abuse the M&M get already, I think they can plow through it. We are seeing generational talent here. When was the last time the Leafs had homegrown players like this? I mean, we had flashes of it with the Hound line 35 or so years ago.
I just hope Dubas and company can sign both of these guys. They are worth every penny, and I think if the team stays healthy, they can do damage in the playoffs.
I do understand the angst about his contract. But he is a leading point getter on this team. If there was no cap (or even a flat cap), nobody would say boo about him. He's worth every penny, and if he was on the open market as a UFA, he'd get that kind of money, easy.
I also think he and Matthews will have break out playoffs this season. They are already getting a lot of pressure from other teams, and have risen above it. Now, we all know the refs sit on their whistles in the playoffs, but considering the abuse the M&M get already, I think they can plow through it. We are seeing generational talent here. When was the last time the Leafs had homegrown players like this? I mean, we had flashes of it with the Hound line 35 or so years ago.
I just hope Dubas and company can sign both of these guys. They are worth every penny, and I think if the team stays healthy, they can do damage in the playoffs.
The question is not should you trade him based on talent and performance, it's can you afford to keep him and the other core members and still ice a highly competitive team. No one questions his value to the Leafs talent and performance-wise. It's the business side of the equation that makes the discussion more complex. In many scenarios, you may not have the business option available to keep him.
The RFA system is fatally flawed. How many offer sheets have been actually used and accepted as opposed to a team just matching it? I mean, do you think the Oilers would have not matched any offer for McDavid? Plus, the cost would be steep. If the team signed Marner for what he's making, they'd have to give the Leafs two first round picks, and one second and third round pick. That is a pretty hefty ask. Now, for a player like Marner....I could see a team swallowing that. But, how many teams could pay that price and have enough talent already onboard to be competitive?
That's the question I just asked above. The Leafs are currently in that exact dilemma for next year.
It's a good question. I cannot see them messing with the core four, even if they can't get passed the first round. And, if they do, it would likely be Nylander who gets moved. Dubas and company will have a difficult time in the offseason. Will they dump Mrazek? Can they sign Campbell for under $5M? They have some cheaper talent on the way, can they drop some more expensive contracts?
I have some faith in Dubas. He's built a strong team. There are holes, but which team doesn't? I think they can compete, and even last night where they coughed up a three goal lead to lose in OT....I thought they played pretty good for the second night on a back-to-back. Also, getting 3 out 4 points from the Florida teams on the road is saying something.
If you had told me before hand you'd get 3 out of 4 points in Florida I would have taken that all day. But sheesh blowing a 5-1 lead in the middle of the 2nd period is not good, even if its against the top scoring team in the NHL.
100% agree. Great player and all, but not worth the $11 million he is getting paid. I compare him to Boston's David Pastrnak. Marner is a better play maker, but Pastrnak is an outstanding finisher around the net and also comes up big in the playoffs.
If the end result is the same for the Leaf's this playoff year, then one of the big 3 (usually the big 4, but I am excluding Matthews) could be /should be traded. Nylander would be the easiest to trade as his cap hit is $7.5 millian, verses the $11 million that Tavares and Marner are collecting...
That being said, this years playoff will be a tough road for all teams in the Atlantic and Metropolitan division. Should be a lot of fun.
The problem is, you actually can't trade Matthews or Tavares, so it comes down to Marner or Nylander. Marner is the far better player, but an ugly price tag. Nylander has the attractive contract, but a significantly less than complete game to offer a buyer, which makes him a sketchy proposition because you never really know which Willy will show up at game time.
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Look at the 10 million dollar players…Marner may not be the best but he’s better than most of them…
