@legendguy

If Gardiner and Hainsey are gone who are you playing on defense? Hainsey I understand going, but doubt you could lose both and not sign a replacement come FA. No?

Keep adding only offense and neglecting defense, everything stagnates.

Add to that why Skinner wanted to go to July 1 in the first place. Jeff has made it quite obvious to friends and others over the years he would love to be a Maple Leaf and that matters to him in a major way I am told.

Jeff has been caught multiple times over the years eating maple syrup. Could the message get any clearer??

I don't even know where to start...
so...
You're welcome for the click Ek

Smarten up bud. once they let go of hainsey and gardiner then who do they have on the back end. They still need defence to sign there. Signing soother sucker Tavares was the worst possible thing they could have done youth wise. They should have signed there big three first and then gave Tavares the scraps. He would have played in Toronto for 8 years 8 mill total. That’s how stupid he is.

Haha 20 mill for marner and Matthews. Talk about wish for thinking. Matthews gets more then mcdavid. Cap is going up and he will want more. Marner will get 9 maybe 10 if he keeps up this pace
- Bigdog1991

They could very well take discounts to stay. 20M may be slightly on the low end, but AM will NOT make more than McJesus. That's his ceiling #.

They could very well take discounts to stay. 20M may be slightly on the low end, but AM will NOT make more than McJesus. That's his ceiling #.
- RhinoFan

11.5 for Matthews
8.5 for Marner

Get 'er done harry potter!

Smarten up bud. once they let go of hainsey and gardiner then who do they have on the back end. They still need defence to sign there. Signing soother sucker Tavares was the worst possible thing they could have done youth wise. They should have signed there big three first and then gave Tavares the scraps. He would have played in Toronto for 8 years 8 mill total. That’s how stupid he is.
- durlz55

I hear Edler and Sutter to Pens for Brassard and the Pens' 1st rounder. Biega to Philly for Gudas. Gudas and Brassard to Panthers for Borgstrom and Tippett. Borgstrom with Goldobin to Srns for Stone.

11.5 for Matthews
8.5 for Marner

Get 'er done harry potter!
- BestRapperAlive

Almost exactly what I see happening. Could be a mil up or down on either, but 20, I thought, was fair. Good post.

Smarten up bud. once they let go of hainsey and gardiner then who do they have on the back end. They still need defence to sign there. Signing soother sucker Tavares was the worst possible thing they could have done youth wise. They should have signed there big three first and then gave Tavares the scraps. He would have played in Toronto for 8 years 8 mill total. That’s how stupid he is.
- durlz55

You're going down tonight!

Sabres going for 8 straight!

why is everyone obsessed with Hainsey and Gardiner? Hainsey SUCKS, and it's addition by subtraction with whoever replaces him. Gardiner is a defensive liability, and his offensive production is not a need for this team.

Wouldn't it just be easier to sign him on July 1st and give up nothing in assets?
- Atomic Wedgie

Yes, but where is the drama in that? EK is here to infuriate everyone, so why stop at trading for Skinner? Toss EK65 into the mix, too. I'm sure he always wanted to be a Leaf, too, and Dubas can fit him under the cap as well as Matthews, Marner, Gardiner, and Skinner. There will be no problems moving forward. Book it!

How exactly are the Leafs in salary cap hell right now?

They have what, 30 million dollars free next year? Yes, they need to sign Marner, Matthews, Nylander and blah blah blah but they are just fine right now.

Not that I want or think any of this will happen but what if they up and traded Matthews, Marner, or Nylander before signing them to new deals? Who says they don't trade Kadri, or Reilly, or someone else to relieve cap space?

I do think they will be hard pressed to fit all of these guys in under the cap, but that's next year, not this year.
-Kinger34

They are in Cap hell. That 30 Mill is not enough. They have to Sign Nylander who wants 8 mill. Marner and Matthews who are going to want 10-11 mill each plus you still have to sign Gardiner, Kapanen, most of the defence needs to be resigned or replaced and you have another bunch RFAs to sign.

Sure you could trade Kadri but then you have to replace him as well. I highly doubt you are going to trade your current #1 Dman especially with what little you have available there. Fact is, Marleau and Horton are going to hurt the Leafs Cap wise. You have to be under the cap before the season starts before puting Horton on the IR unless you want to face a cap penalty. Flyers were forced to put him on the IR before the season started and there was a penalty to our cap hit during the season which is something you cant afford.

Eklund: The Leafs Could Get Prospects +Skinner for Nylander...+Faulk and NYI (e3)
- Eklund

Almost exactly what I see happening. Could be a mil up or down on either, but 20, I thought, was fair. Good post.
- RhinoFan

34 gets more than tavares, less than mcjesus, fair
16 gets more than pastrynak, less than Kucherov, fair

as long as these guys are going for 'fair' and not 'unrealistic' (like melander), we shouldn't have any problems

@legendguy

If Gardiner and Hainsey are gone who are you playing on defense? Hainsey I understand going, but doubt you could lose both and not sign a replacement come FA. No?

Keep adding only offense and neglecting defense, everything stagnates.
- RhinoFan

I could see Gardiner staying tbh. Hainsey is likely gone. Holl and Liljgren shouldn't take too much longer to come up.

They are in Cap hell. That 30 Mill is not enough. They have to Sign Nylander who wants 8 mill. Marner and Matthews who are going to want 10-11 mill each plus you still have to sign Gardiner, Kapanen, most of the defence needs to be resigned or replaced and you have another bunch RFAs to sign.

Sure you could trade Kadri but then you have to replace him as well. I highly doubt you are going to trade your current #1 Dman especially with what little you have available there. Fact is, Marleau and Horton are going to hurt the Leafs Cap wise. You have to be under the cap before the season starts before puting Horton on the IR unless you want to face a cap penalty. Flyers were forced to put him on the IR before the season started and there was a penalty to our cap hit during the season which is something you cant afford.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

I sure wish we didn't have so many good players

They are in Cap hell. That 30 Mill is not enough. They have to Sign Nylander who wants 8 mill. Marner and Matthews who are going to want 10-11 mill each plus you still have to sign Gardiner, Kapanen, most of the defence needs to be resigned or replaced and you have another bunch RFAs to sign.

Sure you could trade Kadri but then you have to replace him as well. I highly doubt you are going to trade your current #1 Dman especially with what little you have available there. Fact is, Marleau and Horton are going to hurt the Leafs Cap wise. You have to be under the cap before the season starts before puting Horton on the IR unless you want to face a cap penalty. Flyers were forced to put him on the IR before the season started and there was a penalty to our cap hit during the season which is something you cant afford.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Think we just figured out who Arizona's next cap dump is gonna be

11.5 for Matthews
8.5 for Marner

Get 'er done harry potter!
- BestRapperAlive

13 Matthews
9 Marner
22 Total
Imo

Gotta hand it to Ek, he knows 45% of his reader base is Buffalo and Toronto fans.

What better way to grab some views than to kick up an implausible rumor getting the Buffalo fans all riled up and the Toronto fans drooling at the prospect of another 40 goal scorer on their team?

Gardiner will be gone. Marleau will be traded or bought out of his final year. Nylander will be signed under 7M or traded. Skinner will not re-sign in Toronto for 3M less per season than his ask. He's been open about going to FA to find the best contract. I think Toronto is ok in the long run from a cap standpoint. They will be competitive for the next decade.

Skinner wants 9 million per year so no he doesnt want less than Nylander.

Rumor debunked....NEXT!!
- legendguy

Skinner as AT LEAST a $7M man depending on term. I don't know if I see him getting $9M, but he probably wouldn't get much less. So yeah... this doesn't make much sense.

Gardiner will be gone. Marleau will be traded or bought out of his final year. Nylander will be signed under 7M or traded. Skinner will not re-sign in Toronto for 3M less per season than his ask. He's been open about going to FA to find the best contract. I think Toronto is ok in the long run from a cap standpoint. They will be competitive for the next decade.
- Snowman X

Marleau and MLSEL will agree to mutual termination of his contract on July 2nd, 2019.

Marleau walks away with $3,000,000 for not playing in 2019-20, leaving only $1,250,000 on the table.

Cap hit disappears completely.

Hockeybuzzers from 30 different teams wet their pants, claiming it isn't possible.

Atomic Wedgie points out that it's entirely fair, and in fact the Habs did it with Plekanec.

Beatle John cries himself to sleep (which I'm assuming he does every night, anyways).

Suck it, haterz!!!!!!!!!!!!

There will be no discount from Matthews. I hear Arizona is going to offer the MAX contract next year, which this year is 15.9 million. They have alot of youth and Matthews would be a perfect fit to play in in home state. He would make them a contender. Wouldn't the NHL just love that. It would save Hockey in the desert.

Gotta hand it to Ek, he knows 45% of his reader base is Buffalo and Toronto fans.

What better way to grab some views than to kick up an implausible rumor getting the Buffalo fans all riled up and the Toronto fans drooling at the prospect of another 40 goal scorer on their team?
- TSchiefer

Who's this 40 goal scorer you speak of?

Phil Kessel?