I've been around this forum since the Quinn days, and have been around every leafs coach since Doug Carpenter. There has never, once, been a coach where I've seen the fanbase happy with. Yes I know someone is going to say Burns, but after the 2 magical runs the call in shows and media were souring in him.

So maybe you don't like this but I guarantee whoever is the next coach, you'll find reason not to like them either.

Coaches all have a shelf life. That's just the unfortunate reality of professional sports. The fans like (some) of them for a while - especially if there's an uptick in the team's fortunes - and, once there's any step back or stagnation, we turn on them.

Well there you go...the bare minimum more than a lame duck deal.

I'd figure he's really only got this year to make something happen, then the last year of the deal is the severance.

Yeah. A 2-year extension says a lot about the situation.

Yeah. It's basically the minimum they could have given him without it being a clear sign they want to replace him at the first signs of struggle.

Seems like a perfectly reasonable depth signing. Don't expect him to get a ton of playing time, but useful, nevertheless.

whats his story?

Big numbers in prep school pre-draft. Struggled to adapt to the NCAA.

[heart]

Hagel's signing should definitely drive down Nylander's ask. Hagel has similar numbers to Nylander at that age and brings more heart to the game.

Why? They're not in the same performance tier. Similar role though.

23yr old Nylander put up 59pts
24yr old Hagel put up 64pts

Equals = Same tier

If only the Leafs were negotiating with a 23 year old Nylander and not one who's been a point a game player for the last two seasons.

Also, at 23, Nylander put up those 59 points in 68 games. Hagel put up 64 in 81.

I think we have to also take into account the heart the player brings to the rink

Nylander also has a perfectly functioning heart. So, that's moot.

Longer would have been better, but this still a very good deal.

[heart]

Hagel's signing should definitely drive down Nylander's ask. Hagel has similar numbers to Nylander at that age and brings more heart to the game.

Why? They're not in the same performance tier. Similar role though.

23yr old Nylander put up 59pts
24yr old Hagel put up 64pts

Equals = Same tier

If only the Leafs were negotiating with a 23 year old Nylander and not one who's been a point a game player for the last two seasons.

Also, at 23, Nylander put up those 59 points in 68 games. Hagel put up 64 in 81.

8 years feels like a long time to commit to a guy with one season justifying the price tag. Could work out, could be an albatross. Really, though, giving 8 years to anyone who isn't a clear core piece feels like a bad  move. Also, what's with Tampa locking up a declining roster for so long? Seems like a mistake.

As 3rd string goalies go, he definitely is one.

I'm not sure anyone really walks away from this deal as a winner.

I still think it's a win for Pittsburgh.  They weren't adding a player of Karlsson's talent via free agency in the next year or two and with Buffalo, Detroit and Ottawa getting older/better they are in the tier of teams fighting to make the playoffs.   Getting into the playoffs and giving Crosby another chance to win games is all they are looking for now and they did it by offloading overpaid depth

Pittsburgh comes out the best, but it's hard to say it's a win. They get a $10m per year wildcard. Was last season a resurgence or just a year where everything went right? They're definitely banking on the former, but if it's the latter, it's not going to make them better. Even if it's the former, Crosby and Malkin are starting to push 40. How much do they have left in the tank? The supporting cast in Pittsburgh isn't enough to make up any real drop off there.

Crosby turned 36 today. 

Yes. I'd considering that the beginning of pushing 40 for a professional athlete.

I'm not sure anyone really walks away from this deal as a winner.

I still think it's a win for Pittsburgh.  They weren't adding a player of Karlsson's talent via free agency in the next year or two and with Buffalo, Detroit and Ottawa getting older/better they are in the tier of teams fighting to make the playoffs.   Getting into the playoffs and giving Crosby another chance to win games is all they are looking for now and they did it by offloading overpaid depth

Pittsburgh comes out the best, but it's hard to say it's a win. They get a $10m per year wildcard. Was last season a resurgence or just a year where everything went right? They're definitely banking on the former, but if it's the latter, it's not going to make them better. Even if it's the former, Crosby and Malkin are starting to push 40. How much do they have left in the tank? The supporting cast in Pittsburgh isn't enough to make up any real drop off there.

I'm not sure anyone really walks away from this deal as a winner.

Montreal does.

Do they? They moved one year of Hoffman for two years of a rapidly declining Petry. The rest of the pieces they were involved with are pretty marginal/meaningless, and if they can move Petry, they'll have to retain salary, which means dead cap space for two seasons. That's not a win.

I'm not sure anyone really walks away from this deal as a winner.

AAV is fine in the short term, but, the last 3 or so years of this deal have real potential to look bad. He's already starting to break down some.

Concussions can be tricky that way - especially when it comes to post-concussion syndrome. He might have felt fine for a few weeks - enough to get cleared to backup and pass a year-end physical - but suffered a major setback shortly after. As we've seen with many others in the past, once you've had a few concussions, it often doesn't take much to cause the next one or show how you didn't really recover from the last one.