Gibson to the Leafs ship has sailed and I'm guessing he's still not interested. Leafs don't need Fowler and shouldn't want him either. The trade is terrible for the Leafs and less than convenient for Anaheim.

Yeah too many things to make work that don’t fit on both sides. Gibson doesn’t want to play there and his cap hit is high for TOR. ANA can’t let go of Fowler just yet, and at an ask of $10M shouldn’t be very interested in Nylander. Totally worth it if he was asking 8-8.5, but $10M+ would set a precedent ANA can’t maintain with all their high end draft picks that’ll need contracts in the coming years.

I think even if Nylander took 8.5M, they would be in an awkward position where their dcore needs to get better and fast. The best they can do this year would be to add Dumba but come next year maybe Brodie is gone and they still need to add. So that probably means paying Hanifin a boatload if he's even interested.


In the meantime, they are going to have to make sure that Samsonov doesn't lose his confidence after he inks a four to five year deal valued between 16M-25M. Gudas starting on LTIR won't help with that.

Honestly I didn’t even bother addressing the rest of the trade beyond Fowler, Gibson, and Nylander. Felt there were enough reasons it made no sense just based on those three let alone the party going the other way because of TOR’s cap situation

PLD and Meier make it pretty though to justify Willy not being in the 9's and he's worth it.

If Nylander was to take 8.5 how could anyone think it would be outside of the city he wants to be in. He is signing in TO

I didn’t suggest that he lacks comps that would but him over $9M. I said trading for him and paying him $10M+ like he’s asking for isn’t in the ducks best interest

Maybe I misunderstand, but it seems like you’re cherry picking the hypothetical part of his comment and ignoring the entirety of the point he was making. He at no point suggested that Nyls would settle for $8.5M, esp to land in ANA

I would be surprised if Nylander took that in Toronto (unless Matthews took a discount as well with max term).

If there was a place that he takes 8.5M, my bet would have to be somewhere like Vegas. with his pay being mostly in signing bonuses. Maybe one of the other state free taxes that have sun.

No one can afford bonus money as much as TO.

That's kind of true (TB is handing out a comparable amounts), but that doesn't mean other teams can't give him one.

But that is the point, lots of teams can't afford it.

It only takes one. Plus, a lot of teams can offer comparable 7-year deals at a 8.5M AAV without bonuses to what Toronto can give him with the extra year and with bonuses.

For example at 8.5Mx8 with 61.8M in signing bonus and 6.2M in salary, Nylander would net ~31.45M in income. Some teams that can probably fit him in at 8.5Mx7 (no bonuses) with a hockey trade are: Seattle (~33.5M), Carolina (~31.2M), Detroit (~31M), Pittsburgh (~30.9M), St. Louis (~30.5M).

And the bonus money makes 8.5 far more attractive. None of the teams you listed would offer as much bonus money as the Leafs. It's a major advantage they have that does offset the tax issue. Stories have been written about this but it's ignored because people always like to justify why TO has no choice but to give players away.

No one on this thread, not even the OP is saying that Toronto has to give away Nylander, or that he won't sign in Toronto, or that he will sign for 8.5M.

We're just talking about what teams he could maybe sign with at 8.5M. I'm saying other teams can offer competitive packages without signing bonuses but they can also give signing bonuses too. They don't need to match Toronto in their signing bonus amount because he will be making more money in one less year. The way Nylander plays, he should be able to make like 5M on a 1-year deal in the year after.

So, yes getting a signing bonuses, especially a frontloaded one like Toronto loves to do is attractive but more money in less years is also attractive.

Florida made room for Tkachuck, why won't other teams make room to improve if Nylander is available? No one ever answers that question

So you are suggesting every is going to wait and see if he hits the market as a free agent and get him for nothing?

I'm sure teams would make space, especially since it's going to have to be a hockey trade. That's why I mentioned Pittsburgh and St.Louis.

No, I'm not saying teams will wait to get him for free, I'm sure some teams would hope so but there's probably going to be at least half a dozen teams that would want to trade for Nylander. A team like Anaheim (unless they trade Terry for him) Arizona, and Chicago are probably not in on Nylander as a trade target, but definitely as a ufa. The Atlantic teams who either have nothing to offer, or no cap this year but might next year, or just won't want to pay the high price for Nylander would also be in on him. If he's the top ufa will have 2/3rds of the League at least.


The reasons why I said 8.5Mx7 1) I keep forgetting that other teams can give him 8 and 2) that Toronto does need to offer higher AAVs than other teams, even with the incentives of frontloaded contracts. You'll have to start including endorsements otherwise and I don't think superstar/star players are going to accept that.

Ya, after making this team I feel it doesn't really fit for the leafs