So how you going sign Matthews and Marner? Got hear this one

My idea was to trade one of Marner or Nylander after 18/19 in this hypothetical. You have to figure you could get a pretty good Dman for one of them.

Why is Nylander getting paid more than Pastarnak lol. 6.5 at most. Also, JT wont get McDavid money, i’d say Malkin-like money (9.5).

I agree with Nylander, but I still think JT will get paid.

Grundström likely won't make the Leafs next year (people who watch the team closely still think he needs to work on his defensive game).

As much as I like that trade for Severson (I've been a fan of his for a while) that isn't nearly enough for him. New Jersey sold a RHD of his calibre (Larsson) straight up for Taylor Hall, so there's zero chance they'll sell that low on Severson.

That's a little too much for Tavares. I think the Leafs could make it work for 11 million but only if Matthews and his reps agree to the same amount. The cap might rise to as a high as 82 million next season and maybe even more when his and Marner's contract will kick in. I think 11 could make it feasible to squeeze everyone else under the cap.

I would do everything I could to avoid having to trade any of the Big Three. They're far too valuable and are still 2-3 years from their peak. If it means trading the players making 2-3 million per season then that's what you have to do. That's why drafting is so important. The Leafs will be forced to routinely trade their complementary players every 1-2 seasons once the Big Three are signed, especially if Tavares comes here as well.

The players you have on defence is what I think could happen, although I definitely see Dermott on the bottom pairing again, but with Hainsey this time. Gardiner and Zaitsev will stay on the second pairing, while Rielly will most likely be paired with a new defenceman brought in through trade most likely.

I do think this is a pretty solid Armchair-GM post, though. Definitely above average. I can't click on the stars (the site won't allow me to for whatever reason) but I would have given it a four.