Crystal Ball :

Marner and the rest of the core are in the lineup on opening night.

Tree will resign Domi and/or Bert.

Some minor free agents walk.

Some minor free agents are picked up.

Hopefully a Broissot (sp?) or some 1B for Woll is added.

Leafs and Marner's camp stay tight-lipped about negotiations as the season progresses.

Marner knows this could be his last hurrah as a Leaf and it's a contract year. He will play his heart out in a way rarely seen before. In fact, he'll be so (frank)ing good that everyone will give Berube credit for motivating him and have second thoughts about trading him.

Marner's heater will drive up his ask so high that the Leafs will not be able to afford him without doing a complete re-tooling and getting rid of a different big contract.

Marner gets traded at the deadline for a package of picks, prospects, and a roster player. The return will be underwhelming and many fans will be unimpressed.

The new roster player and the Leafs finish out the season in a playoff spot and get ousted in the first round again - Marner stans will declare ''See! I told you! The team was better with him!"

Next season rolls around, first full-season sans Marner. Tavares retires or signs a Spezza-like deal for chump change and becomes a 3rd line winger and special teams guy. Cap goes up and that is added to Marner's savings, yielding a fat budget to UFA shop.

Finally a big name top-pair defenseman is added (and more) to shore up the D, and needs are addressed. The roster is more evenly balanced, deeper, and under the tutelage of Berube who leads them to the Cup in his second season.

Parade time.

Potato for this being so long.
- GalacticStone

Some general musings from the mainstream speculators (Friedman, LeBrun, et al) is that both Bertuzzi and Domi are looking for significant pay raises and term. I think one comment was that since it's known that the Leafs are interested in both - if the fit was there a deal would've already been done.

I don't see Domi coming in over $4m wherever he goes. If he thinks he can get it or if he _does_ get it, then good for him.

Bertuzzi is somehow magically overpaid for his production, so I'm very much hoping the Leafs let someone else deal with him flailing around pointlessly on the ice and don't consider it. There are better options.

With regards to Marner, I think it's a really difficult decision no matter how you look at it. He has more than just offensive talent. He has shown that he has game breaking ability and can elevate those around him in the past. While he's not physical nor will he win board battles, he is positionally aware and has a high enough hockey IQ to be in the right places to be effective in most defensive situations.

It felt this year like Marner's role had been almost diminished to "Matthews' personal puck feeder" and Marner has always had more purpose than that. Is his sleightness of frame a problem? It could be, but you know when Chicago gave Patrick Kane some linemates who created room for him, Patty Kane shone. When those guys moved on, Kane was still a great regular season player but he had more difficulty in the playoffs. I mean by the time Kane was Marner's age he had 3 cups and had won them with the support of his teammates being strong guys who won the board battles and created room for him. Marner is 27 this year - how many good years can a guy who relies on his skating and elusiveness to be effective continue to put up? That might also be a realistic reason to move on from him - especially because this past season he did look slower, even prior to the ankle sprain.

Some general musings from the mainstream speculators (Friedman, LeBrun, et al) is that both Bertuzzi and Domi are looking for significant pay raises and term. I think one comment was that since it's known that the Leafs are interested in both - if the fit was there a deal would've already been done.

I don't see Domi coming in over $4m wherever he goes. If he thinks he can get it or if he _does_ get it, then good for him.

Bertuzzi is somehow magically overpaid for his production, so I'm very much hoping the Leafs let someone else deal with him flailing around pointlessly on the ice and don't consider it. There are better options.

With regards to Marner, I think it's a really difficult decision no matter how you look at it. He has more than just offensive talent. He has shown that he has game breaking ability and can elevate those around him in the past. While he's not physical nor will he win board battles, he is positionally aware and has a high enough hockey IQ to be in the right places to be effective in most defensive situations.

It felt this year like Marner's role had been almost diminished to "Matthews' personal puck feeder" and Marner has always had more purpose than that. Is his sleightness of frame a problem? It could be, but you know when Chicago gave Patrick Kane some linemates who created room for him, Patty Kane shone. When those guys moved on, Kane was still a great regular season player but he had more difficulty in the playoffs. I mean by the time Kane was Marner's age he had 3 cups and had won them with the support of his teammates being strong guys who won the board battles and created room for him. Marner is 27 this year - how many good years can a guy who relies on his skating and elusiveness to be effective continue to put up? That might also be a realistic reason to move on from him - especially because this past season he did look slower, even prior to the ankle sprain.
- Monkeypunk

It's pretty simple. You either move on and build your team in a different way or its the same old same old of more losing. Nothing changes if you keep those three.

It was great. I think they mentioned that Rory hasn’t won a major in ten years, that really surprised me.
- shack67

They talked about it on the radio. He's apparently won everything BUT a major and has won the most money outside of LIV guys since his last major. What a kick in the Richard. Would be like if you were a tennis player who won all of those weird small tournies but never won an Open.

They talked about it on the radio. He's apparently won everything BUT a major and has won the most money outside of LIV guys since his last major. What a kick in the Richard. Would be like if you were a tennis player who won all of those weird small tournies but never won an Open.
- AdamFrench

It's pretty simple. You either move on and build your team in a different way or its the same old same old of more losing. Nothing changes if you keep those three.
- fifty__missions

It's not entirely true. You need scoring. You also need grit and character. At the end of the day I think the Leafs could've truly had a legitimate superstar in Marner who contributed consistently in the playoffs, but they misallocated the cap and never created a proper competitive identity around their star players.

Realistically John Tavares' salary is and always has been the bottleneck. He never provided the type of value to the team that his contract took away from the team as a whole. I've seen the argument that he probably gave us that value in his first year when he had 47 goals and 88 points. When he was 16th in league scoring and 14 of the 15 guys ahead of him made less. We know he's not getting traded, but I wouldn't have him back after this year for more than $3m, so if he wants what the market says he's worth, he can look elsewhere.

To your point, going into 2024-25 as this team is constructed, they will only get worse unless someone is traded. There's no room to make any substantial improvement and Tavares is only getting worse. Rielly isn't getting any better.

If they can trade Marner and get what they need then it's worthwhile pursuing it. If everyone is offering boat anchors, then 2024-25 may be a write-off because there's no point in trading someone only to get worse.

It's not entirely true. You need scoring. You also need grit and character. At the end of the day I think the Leafs could've truly had a legitimate superstar in Marner who contributed consistently in the playoffs, but they misallocated the cap and never created a proper competitive identity around their star players.

Realistically John Tavares' salary is and always has been the bottleneck. He never provided the type of value to the team that his contract took away from the team as a whole. I've seen the argument that he probably gave us that value in his first year when he had 47 goals and 88 points. When he was 16th in league scoring and 14 of the 15 guys ahead of him made less. We know he's not getting traded, but I wouldn't have him back after this year for more than $3m, so if he wants what the market says he's worth, he can look elsewhere.

To your point, going into 2024-25 as this team is constructed, they will only get worse unless someone is traded. There's no room to make any substantial improvement and Tavares is only getting worse. Rielly isn't getting any better.

If they can trade Marner and get what they need then it's worthwhile pursuing it. If everyone is offering boat anchors, then 2024-25 may be a write-off because there's no point in trading someone only to get worse.
- Monkeypunk

Agree with all of that. JT part especially.

As for the bolded, you need scoring that doesn't dry up in the face of grit and character.

That is what most of us non Marner fans have a problem with; he cost way too much now, never mind his new deal, to underperform when it really counts.

Cap and team construction is obviously not working. 1 of the 4 high paid non-performing forwards needs to go and it might not be until 25/26 when JT is done.

Unfortunate but probably true.

Bargain basement shopping to suit the Core 4 again and another early playoff exit part 7 coming up.

Agree with all of that. JT part especially.

As for the bolded, you need scoring that doesn't dry up in the face of grit and character.

That is what most of us non Marner fans have a problem with; he cost way too much now, never mind his new deal, to underperform when it really counts.

Cap and team construction is obviously not working. 1 of the 4 high paid non-performing forwards needs to go and it might not be until 25/26 when JT is done.

Unfortunate but probably true.

Bargain basement shopping to suit the Core 4 again and another early playoff exit part 7 coming up.
- underhill14

We could hope not but that IS a distinctly 💩 real possability unfortunately. Really depends on Tre and what he can do with this mess of a situation.

new blog everyone

Some general musings from the mainstream speculators (Friedman, LeBrun, et al) is that both Bertuzzi and Domi are looking for significant pay raises and term. I think one comment was that since it's known that the Leafs are interested in both - if the fit was there a deal would've already been done.

I don't see Domi coming in over $4m wherever he goes. If he thinks he can get it or if he _does_ get it, then good for him.

Bertuzzi is somehow magically overpaid for his production, so I'm very much hoping the Leafs let someone else deal with him flailing around pointlessly on the ice and don't consider it. There are better options.

With regards to Marner, I think it's a really difficult decision no matter how you look at it. He has more than just offensive talent. He has shown that he has game breaking ability and can elevate those around him in the past. While he's not physical nor will he win board battles, he is positionally aware and has a high enough hockey IQ to be in the right places to be effective in most defensive situations.

It felt this year like Marner's role had been almost diminished to "Matthews' personal puck feeder" and Marner has always had more purpose than that. Is his sleightness of frame a problem? It could be, but you know when Chicago gave Patrick Kane some linemates who created room for him, Patty Kane shone. When those guys moved on, Kane was still a great regular season player but he had more difficulty in the playoffs. I mean by the time Kane was Marner's age he had 3 cups and had won them with the support of his teammates being strong guys who won the board battles and created room for him. Marner is 27 this year - how many good years can a guy who relies on his skating and elusiveness to be effective continue to put up? That might also be a realistic reason to move on from him - especially because this past season he did look slower, even prior to the ankle sprain.
- Monkeypunk

I would argue Matthews wins a ton of board battles, and creates a poop ton of space. Difference is Kane can really shoot the puck

It was compelling tv. I would never in a million years want to play that track, though.
- fifty__missions

Donald Ross is an S.O.B.