when does Stamkos return to TB as a Predator ?
- dmnted

First few weeks of season i believe

It'll be interesting to see where both guys play. Do the Lightning load up with Point/Kucherov/Guentzel? Do the Preds try him at centre even though Stammer is basically a winger that can win a face off these days? Their second line centre is like Thomas Novak or some poop
- AdamFrench

Cooper rarely loaded the first line unless he was mixing things up to change momentum. I suspect Guentzel might get a look on the top line just to see what happens, but he'll probably slot in on the second line with Cirelli at center.

Stamkos is good at faceoffs, but too slow to be a two-way center. He's now a power play specialist winger for the most part. Preds might try him at center, but I doubt it lasts unless their center depth is absolute trash.

The x4 is pretty nasty, but how does a guy who just scored

40g
34g
42g

all over a PPG seasons not get 8mil?
- AdamFrench

You think he'll score as many goals with Nashville?

I'm not sure.

Add to that he's bound to slow down even more as time goes by.... it's not a contract I would have given.

Giving Stamkos $8M X 4 is insanity.

I can see why the Lightning may have been tempted to give him that kind of contract, but Nashville doing it is crazy.

Nashville is rewarding Stamkos for all he achieved with the Lightning.
- Atomic Wedgie

Pretty much this. Still, I would have given him the same amount spread out over 8 years and just let him live on Robidas Island for the last few years of the deal. Keep him around, but at a caphit that doesn't wreck the team.

Because it's Matthews' team now whether the Leafs are trying to trade Tavares or not.

Just the same way the Rangers are trying to trade Trouba, the Leafs could be trying to trade Tavares.

At the end of the day, the team is what matters the most. If trading the captain makes the team better (it does), then that's what the team needs to do.

Like I've said many times before, teams like Anaheim can afford to add salary. If the Leafs retain 2 AAV, Anaheim retains 4.5, now Tavares only costs 4.5 AAV. Maybe a team in "win now mode" like Nashville wants him. Maybe he'd waive to play with O'Reilly and Stamkos again. Maybe they send us a couple depth players like Sissons and Glass to balance the salaries.

Leafs: Sissons (2.8 AAV) + Gudas (4 AAV) + Askarov, retain 2 AAV on Tavares
Anaheim: Retain 4.5 AAV on Tavares + Glass + Liljegren + Robertson
Nashville: Tavares @ 4.5 AAV, Cowan, 1st round pick

Everybody wins.

Sign Sprong @ 3.75 AAV, Clutterbuck @ 1 AAV, Bortuzzo @ 1 AAV, Tierney and Comtois @ 900K.

Sprong / Matthews / Marner
Knies / Domi / Nylander
McMann / Sissons / Jarnkrok
Comtois / Kampf / Clutterbuck
Tierney

Rielly / Tanev
OEL / Gudas
McCabe / Hakanpaa (Healthy?)
Benoit / Bortuzzo

Woll / Askarov / Stolarz / Murray
- Rare_Jewel

You literally didn't answer my question: why strip the C? Even if it's "Matthews' Team" - so?!

You actually think that would induce Snake to waive his NMC?

You literally didn't answer my question: why strip the C? Even if it's "Matthews' Team" - so?!

You actually think that would induce Snake to waive his NMC?
- mjones242

treating your player like crap isn't the way to go imo.
you play it out one more season, at least.

You literally didn't answer my question: why strip the C? Even if it's "Matthews' Team" - so?!

You actually think that would induce Snake to waive his NMC?
- mjones242

Remember when they removed the "C" from Marleau and gave it to Thornton because it was "his team"?

It changed everything for the Sharks, everything!

...

No wait, it changed nothing. Players don't need a "C" to be a leader in the room.

You literally didn't answer my question: why strip the C? Even if it's "Matthews' Team" - so?!

You actually think that would induce Snake to waive his NMC?
- mjones242

It wouldn't do it by itself, but it would nudge him in that direction.

I think the #1 thing that would make him waive is telling him he will not be re-signed next year. If he understands that his future in the NHL is with another team, he may get that process started a year earlier on a contender if they Leafs actually ask him to waive and manage to find a team to get his cap hit down low enough to be able to move him.

You think he'll score as many goals with Nashville?

I'm not sure.

Add to that he's bound to slow down even more as time goes by.... it's not a contract I would have given.
- Scabeh

he scores a lot on the PP..which doesnt really need speed as much.
almost half his points on PP 19-20-39

i he gets a lot of PP time and its a good PP. im sure he scores close to that again

Remember when they removed the "C" from Marleau and gave it to Thornton because it was "his team"?

It changed everything for the Sharks, everything!

...

No wait, it changed nothing. Players don't need a "C" to be a leader in the room.
- Scabeh

It did work when they took it off Thornton and gave it to Pavelski though.

Team went to the Final after years and years of underachieving.

he scores a lot on the PP..which doesnt really need speed as much.
almost half his points on PP 19-20-39

i he gets a lot of PP time and its a good PP. im sure he scores close to that again
- senstroll

He can do what Ovie has done for his whole career. Stand at the top of the circle and wait for someone to get it to him for the one-timer.

i just tried puckpedia, and dont like it.

yes yes, will get used to it when CG goes away. but its not as good . at the moment

It did work when they took it off Thornton and gave it to Pavelski though.

Team went to the Final after years and years of underachieving.
- Rare_Jewel

If they hadn't given it to Pavelski they would've won two Cups in a row.

Lol

It did work when they took it off Thornton and gave it to Pavelski though.

Team went to the Final after years and years of underachieving.
- Rare_Jewel

And you think that's what did it? The "C" stitched to Pavelski's jersey? That was the difference?

I think it changed absolutely nothing.

He can do what Ovie has done for his whole career. Stand at the top of the circle and wait for someone to get it to him for the one-timer.
- shack67

worth noting...7 months younger John Tavares scored more 5v5 points than Stamkos.
15-20-35

for when he is a UFA, id think he would get something like Stamkos contract if he went UFA

And you think that's what did it? The "C" stitched to Pavelski's jersey? That was the difference?

I think it changed absolutely nothing.
- Scabeh

I don't want to overstate the importance of the C and pretend like it's some kind of voodoo magic but you're clearly understating the possible difference it might make.

It does make some level of difference. The team and the individuals within the team respond differently.

For example, maybe Marleau was a better piece of the team without it because he didn't like the pressure. Maybe Thornton was a better piece of the team without it because it made him a better teammate. Maybe Pavelski thrived with the status and the pressure. Every player reacts to it differently and the team reacts differently around the captain.

It's hard to determine how exactly it was different but clearly something was different with the team each time they moved the C around.

If it was truly meaningless and purely symbolic, it wouldn't be used anymore.

worth noting...7 months younger John Tavares scored more 5v5 points than Stamkos.
15-20-35

for when he is a UFA, id think he would get something like Stamkos contract if he went UFA
- senstroll

I also think the idea of Tavares taking "4-5" to stay in Toronto is silly.

If he scores 40 this year, he's definitely asking for 9-10. And there are plenty of teams that would give it to him.

The Leafs should not be one of them. Not even at 5.

I also think the idea of Tavares taking "4-5" to stay in Toronto is silly.

If he scores 40 this year, he's definitely asking for 9-10. And there are plenty of teams that would give it to him.

The Leafs should not be one of them. Not even at 5.
- Rare_Jewel

since he has been a leaf for 7 seasons and was paid 11 mil, and over that span the team has not achieved any success, JT has the failure stink on him that I get...fans would like to forget.

but, if the Leafs need a decent 2nd line center and he was available and just came off a 40 goal season .. 5 mil would be a smoking good deal.

i get some fans want to move on..but I would gladly take him back at 4-5

I mean... I get the emotional attachment to a guy like Stamkos.

But let's be honest, the guy was getting pretty damn slow and replacing him with Guentzel is just making the team better.
- Scabeh

Stamkos is 34, yes, but has exceeded a point per game 12 times in his career, including the last 3 and 7 of the last 8. He does play a fair bit with Kucherov and Point, but he also centres lines with guys like Killorn, Cirelli, Paul, Hagel . . .and until last year had made most of them look pretty decent.

Guentzel will be 30 when the season starts and has exceed a point per game 4 times in his career. This is a guy who was stapled to Sidney Crosby since 2018. I think he's a terrific player - and he did very well in Carolina with Aho and Jarvis (although for comparative purposes so did Teravainen) - but I think he's overrated and it takes Guentzel to age 37 at $9m. Would taking Stamkos to age 38 at $8m have been more of a mistake?

I also think the idea of Tavares taking "4-5" to stay in Toronto is silly.

If he scores 40 this year, he's definitely asking for 9-10. And there are plenty of teams that would give it to him.

The Leafs should not be one of them. Not even at 5.
- Rare_Jewel

Stamkos did even get that.

Remember when they removed the "C" from Marleau and gave it to Thornton because it was "his team"?

It changed everything for the Sharks, everything!

...

No wait, it changed nothing. Players don't need a "C" to be a leader in the room.
- Scabeh

I see your Marleau, and counter with a Lecavalier.

since he has been a leaf for 7 seasons and was paid 11 mil, and over that span the team has not achieved any success, JT has the failure stink on him that I get...fans would like to forget.

but, if the Leafs need a decent 2nd line center and he was available and just came off a 40 goal season .. 5 mil would be a smoking good deal.

i get some fans want to move on..but I would gladly take him back at 4-5
- senstroll

I don't see his next deal aging well so while you might see value at 5 AAV, I see an anchor of a contract as he gets older and older and slower and slower. Especially if it's one of those 5 year+ contracts like they gave to Muzzin and now Tanev.

Players in that age range, especially goal scorers, very quickly go from 40 to 20 or lower. I remember Marleau at that age could skate way better than Tavares and could barely muster 20 goals by the end.

Stamkos did even get that.
- dmnted

Cap going up by 4 million next year, UFA prices go up. His agent will be asking and probably settling on close to what Stamkos got, especially if he scores 40 the same way Stamkos did.

I see your Marleau, and counter with a Lecavalier.
- Atomic Wedgie

I'm still shocked he never played for the Habs.