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If Matthews needs surgery, there are some big decisions to be made. With Marner and Tavares contracts expiring, next year could look very different.

Love the loaded line... as a December experiment. My personal belief is the Leafs will be better off dividing them across 3 lines - all 3 on one line will not get the most out of them (too many puck carriers, who is the net front presence), but I'm also a little excited to see how it plays...

Horwitz numbers against righties are terrific (.864 OPS in a reasonable number of AB), but he didn't hit lefties at all. It's a funny one, feels like a video game trade where we got the guy with a better overall, but didn't bother to look at the details. I'm happy to accept that Gimenez is a guy...

What would you have been happy to sign Vlad to this time last year? If at anytime before June they'd handed Vladdy anything north of $25/30M/yr, the Jays would have worn a lot of criticism, and that was the old superstar price. Once Vladdy was convincingly back in superstar mode, waiting for...

I really don't think it would take a reset to turn this edition of the Jays into bona fide contenders. They have starting pitching, an anchor bat in the middle of the lineup, and solid defence. The big issue is offence, (followed by the bullpen, but bullpens can be assembled if everything else...

Professional sports is about entertainment, so the viewer gets to decide what they prioritise. The standards by which you decide to judge are arbitrary, to be decided by you. And so, if you choose to judge an individuals contribution to team sports by something that is clearly, obviously beyond...

I feel this statement in my bones. Sorry for taking away (well written) context. I feel like the statement stands up without it. Beyond it. The pieces are in place. Now just win.

We Leafs fans also have selective memories. That series converted a lot of people who had been fans of Sheldon Keefe's approach of possession hockey and skate the puck zone entries to believe that dump and chase is now necessary to succeed in the playoffs. Painting it as an effort thing - and...

The cupboard is bare because that's the way that NHL teams are run. Tampa Bay hasn't made a pick in the first round since 2019 (no 2025 pick either), and Florida hasn't since 2021 (no 2025 pick). The Bruins have selected twice in the first round in that time. Those are the teams the Leafs have...

You're right, a 12 game stretch is not enough to justify that, which is why any Knies contract will wait - that was the point of the Byfield comparison. TML would be reluctant to put him on Byfield status today (reasonable), but if Knies scores 30+ (plausible), looking at contracts signed in...

I think both sides just wait it out at this point. If I'm Knies I sign for $7.5 x 5... but if I'm the Leafs, that's a BIG reach. If you take the deals for wingers at/above what you implied @ 6 you've got Hagel, $6.5Mx 8 as a 24yo, and he scored 75 pts (36 goals). Next winger up from the last 12...

If I were Knies, at 6 I think I'd just bet on myself to continue producing. I think we're past the point where there's any discount for early signing. Wingers who got 6 last year included Tyler Tiffoli (33 g, 32 yo, $6M x 4), Owen Tippett (28g, 25yo, $6.2M x 8), Tom Wilson(WTF, 29yo x 7)...

I've been thinking this. The Marner stuff now reminds me a lot of the people back in the day who really wanted Sundin to be Lindros and couldn't let go of Gilmour/Clark. Right down to statements about how the Leafs would never win with Sundin as Captain, and then declaring themselves correct...

Brian Burke, is that you? It's a fun narrative. Hire a GM in 2018, and then fire him after 3 (winning) seasons. Hire an up and coming coach, then fire him after his first full season in the job. How could Shanahan have missed it.