What Roster changes do you make if Marner doesn't waive?

[Al14]

Sacrifice a chicken

And make Marner eat it raw !!!

 

[Commander Clueless]

Mitch is well within his rights to not waive.

If he doesn't, you sign some D and hope for a miracle.

I don't see how they can extend him though. Even with JT's contract coming off the books, the cap needs balancing. How do we get there? No clue.

 

[LeafSteel]

If Marner won’t waive I would play him in net.

Question moot.

Marner will waive.

 

[Leafsfan74]

The media articles I have read are already circling the wagon about the reality that the most mocked franchise in sports has no ability to move ANY of the core. I now see such comments such as "how will the core be more accountable under Berube".

Oh my. Let's try this again and laugh at the intelligence of the Leafs fan base, not a bad approach really as Leaf fans are among the least impressive in terms of how gullible they are.

Expect the same team to be trotted out. Expect the same team to fail when it matters. That is the frightening reality the less naive in the fan base face.

These changes should have been made when the opportunity was there. Whoever was resistant to these change after so many years of failure is the person responsible for the global mockery this franchise and its fans ensure. You'd have to be a tough kid to wear a Leafs jersey to school nowadays.

Now, if I am the GM, it's quite simple. I make those who are no longer going to be a part of the Leafs future aware that "we need your ice time for younger players such as Knies, McMann etc. You WILL be seeing far less PP minutes and ice time this season. It's not personal, it's just business. You have a NMC and that's fine, you don't want to waive. We have a franchise to build for the future."

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Churchill had to sink French naval ships and betray an ally because of the fear the Germans would take these naval ships and attack the British. It was an excruciatingly difficult decision but he couldn't trust the French navy to destroy their ships as they promised if Germany overran them.

So, with that extreme analogy used, you have to do what is best for your team and its future accepting that some players will not be a part of it. Let these players know, in no uncertain terms. If they are eligible for assignment to the minors, Leafs need to explore that too, even if it costs them a win or two. Maybe there is a clause where if they violate their contract they can be traded (if they refuse to report to the Marlies for example).

If they don't do this they are waving the white flags to the fans. This team desperately needs the cap space. They will have 4 of the top 15 cap eaters this year, all forwards. 4 of 15! On one team!?!?

Now, if you are Marner for instance, your maximum contract extension options are for this year and this year only. Leafs can sign you for eight years and trade you to one of the teams who so very much wants you. If you decide you don't want the deal than the Leafs HAVE to cut his playing time.

He will then negotiate a shorter contract as a UFA with a 75 point season behind him. That should cost him at least $2M per year with a seven year max, no? Maybe even much more.

This isn't about being vicious. Marner has been paid over $54M dollars thus far, all U.S dollars by the way, with $11M more to arrive and the Leafs have exactly one playoff round of success. This isn't a Sundin who played with nobodies and still carried the team on his back to Final Fours, this is a player, who isn't alone in these miserable failures by the way; who didn't get it done. Whether it be Tavares or Reilly, the situation is the same.

This ownership group has to decide "do we want to sell jerseys or win a Cup"?

As Bryan Hayes said and I concur regarding Leaf changes, "I will believe it when I see it".

Call it constructive trade tactics. They are very, very well paid for this inconvenience. I give money to the homeless often, there is no need for multi millionaires chasing a puck to be given special treatment. They are employees, the owners have to guide the ship.

If they aren't finding creative ways to convince a player to waive their NMC then they aren't trying hard enough, or simply don't truly care enough.

 

[al secord]

lol this reminds me of Major League when Cerrano wanted to sacrifice a chicken.
They got him a bucket of KFC.
View attachment 873393

It worked!

"f*** you dad. I'm doing this myself!" - Mitch Marner 2025 playoffs

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Sacrifice a chicken

I have 5 chickens and one of them is a total f***ing bitch.

Therefore, I nominate Margie the Chicken.

 

[Notsince67]

You missed the point. If he refuses to waive and we just let him resume his role on line 1 and PP1 what does that say about us? Thanks, go get 100 points so you can leave for nothing and get a nice fat pay cheque into retirement? If we bully him maybe we can force him to accept a trade and get f***ing anything instead of nothing.

Good God. You must be fun at a party or in a marriage.

I have 5 chickens and one of them is a total f***ing bitch.

Therefore, I nominate Margie the Chicken.

A good rooser keeps the hens happy. Nothing like a good cock

 

[notDatsyuk]

They have tried it several times, including this past season.

Nylander is 27 or 28 if he was going to be a center at the NHL level he would be by now.

He's been tried there for a couple times, but not for more than a few games.

He was drafted as a centre, and played centre everywhere else, including in international competition.

Yes, it's terrible how badly the Tavares signing messed things up.

 

[BackPassChampions]

The era of overpaying superstars is over. Bye Mitch

Bringing back the era of overpaying scrubs, Jeff Finger/Dave Clarkson? It's 2024, we're overpaying Pesche and Debrusk.

Time to miss the playoffs and trade our 1st for another bad contract.

Because you wanted it Leafs Nation.

Enough of making the playoffs, let's spend to the cap and over with injury reserve and bring back the Mats Era.

Get a front row seat, this will be the summer that Toronto destroys this franchise for the rest of Matthews time here.

Maybe Seth Jones. Leafs Nation = Village Idiot Nation

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

He's been tried there for a couple times, but not for more than a few games.

He was drafted as a centre, and played centre everywhere else, including in international competition.

Yes, it's terrible how badly the Tavares signing messed things up.

The Tavares signing didn't mess anything up, Covid did lets be honest about that, Covid f***ed the Leafs, without Covid the salary cap would probably be close to 95 million right now because it was supposed to be 85-86 million after 2020, add 4 more years of growth onto that and where would we be?

That's why saying the Tavares signing messed things up just isn't true, the only reason you think it is, is because of a completely unpredictable once in a life time event.

At the time Tavares was signed he was a 27 year old franchise center, EVERY GM in the league would have signed that contract and you would have too don't lie.

Dubas is not a good GM, I could make a list a mile long of the stupid shit he's done but signing Tavares and not being able to predict the world would stop would not be on that list

 

[TMLife17]

The Tavares signing didn't mess anything up, Covid did lets be honest about that, Covid f***ed the Leafs, without Covid the salary cap would probably be close to 95 million right now because it was supposed to be 85-86 million after 2020, add 4 more years of growth onto that and where would we be?

That's why saying the Tavares signing messed things up just isn't true, the only reason you think it is, is because of a completely unpredictable once in a life time event.

At the time Tavares was signed he was a 27 year old franchise center, EVERY GM in the league would have signed that contract and you would have too don't lie.

Dubas is not a good GM, I could make a list a mile long of the stupid shit he's done but signing Tavares and not being able to predict the world would stop would not be on that list

Maybe for the 21-23 seasons. There would be almost no difference in the first two seasons of his deal. But this version of Tavares (the last 2 years of his deal) he isn't worth 11M if the cap was 195M lol. Sounds like an exaggeration but it's pretty damn close.

 

[sunstersun]

We should have realized the future was more speed and Tavares would decline faster than say Stamkos who's elite shot would age gracefully.

The problem with Tavares is when he had bad linemates he put up pretty good 80 point seasons so the logic was he could put up way better stats with great linemates and a good powerplay. That failed. He was never worth the contract even year 2. So IDK that kind of fizzled.

You still take a 1C in UFA every time. I just wonder how the Leafs look if they get Stamkos instead.

 

[Racer88]

I miss Senor Martinez. I can't imagine him getting banned so I hope he just moved on from here and is in good health. Pretty formulaic around here without him. Always got mad about the bullying he sometimes endured.

Agreed he was hilarious

 

[Trapper]

Agreed he was hilarious

He’s probably sad cause we ain’t been hard and kicking sukas around like we should be.

 

[Nineteen67]

We should have realized the future was more speed and Tavares would decline faster than say Stamkos who's elite shot would age gracefully.

The problem with Tavares is when he had bad linemates he put up pretty good 80 point seasons so the logic was he could put up way better stats with great linemates and a good powerplay. That failed. He was never worth the contract even year 2. So IDK that kind of fizzled.

You still take a 1C in UFA every time. I just wonder how the Leafs look if they get Stamkos instead.

The two yellow M&Ms likely wouldn’t have signed team killing contracts. Not sure if that would have allowed them to build a competitive defence and team or if Malgin would have generational wealth.

 

[Trapper]

The two yellow M&Ms likely wouldn’t have signed team killing contracts. Not sure if that would have allowed them to build a competitive defence and team or if Malgin would have generational wealth.

lol that’s a good one.
I don’t have 2 yellows but I got you a playoff poster.

 

[Brobust]

Extend Marner. Sign Pesce, trade for Frederik Andersen. Gut it out for another year until Tavares leaves.

 

[Nineteen67]

Extend Marner. Sign Pesce, trade for Frederik Andersen. Gut it out for another year until Tavares leaves.

Trade for Freddy Andersen? I can see it now, the final minute of game 7 in NJ, Marner flips if to center ice, Hughes picks it off, takes a wrister from 75 feet that gets tangled up in Freddy’s feet and trickles into the net.

 

[Brobust]

Trade for Freddy Andersen? I can see it now, the final minute of game 7 in NJ, Marner flips if to center ice, Hughes picks it off, takes a wrister from 75 feet that gets tangled up in Freddy’s feet and trickles into the net.

Andersen will not start a single playoff game in this scenario. Just someone to share the regular season load with Woll.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Alright new plan!

Get spiteful and trade everyone EXCEPT Marner.

Scrub-Scrub-Marner
Scrub-Scrub-Scrub
Scrub-Tavares-Scrub
Scrub-Scrub-Scrub

Pylon-Pylon
Pylon-Pylon
Pylon-Pylon

Sieve
Sieve

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Andersen will not start a single playoff game in this scenario. Just someone to share the regular season load with Woll.

Then why not get a cheaper option without the emotional damage? Jones seems like he could put up adequate numbers and mentor Woll. There's also DeSmith and Lankinen out there as free agents.

 

[Brobust]

Then why not get a cheaper option without the emotional damage? Jones seems like he could put up adequate numbers and mentor Woll. There's also DeSmith and Lankinen out there as free agents.

If Woll gets injured, do we want any of those three guys starting for extended periods. Jones was awful after a couple of decent starts.

They need a starting calibre goalie, but only to back up Woll and help him grow into his role.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Extend Marner. Sign Pesce, trade for Frederik Andersen. Gut it out for another year until Tavares leaves.

And then gut it out for another 8 years until Marner leaves.

 

[ToneDog]

Extend Marner. Sign Pesce, trade for Frederik Andersen. Gut it out for another year until Tavares leaves.

I would not even make him an offer.

 

[mydnyte]

we need to move Jarn, and Kampf not because either is bad, but, we need the $$ to upgrade the D and have the cap space to sign the ones we 'want' rather than the ones we can afford.
I'd 'want' Pesce and Roy, but for some reason expect Tanev and Carrier (which would still be better than anything we have had since Matthews was drafted)

If Woll gets injured, do we want any of those three guys starting for extended periods. Jones was awful after a couple of decent starts.

They need a starting calibre goalie, but only to back up Woll and help him grow into his role.

while that would be nice, if Hildy is the goalie of the future, let him have a shot... Silovs got Van to game 7 and the loss was no reflection on him, and he is not a 'better' prospect than Hildy