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2025-2026 Off Season Thread - The Rehappening

willy is a good deal lesser than M&M, but will have less stink on him and a lower contract. He'd be a good guy to trade (for similarly elite talent of coruse). He feasted on easy opposition for his points.
 
LeafOfFaith said:
I'd rather Mitch walk and we use the funds on alternatives (especially McDavid with the one year burn plan) than to sign Mitch and trade Willy away.
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I loathe losing top players for nothing. I get your sentiment but man that would be a kick in the nuts as far as asset management goes.
 
Move willy to the island with Shanny for Horvat and Dobson. Fills Tavares spot and gives you a number one D.
 
LeafOfFaith said:
With some time and space from the disappointment, which we badly need, we do have to also acknowledge that they took the defending champs to seven games after finishing first in the division for the first time, and going deeper into the playoffs than they ever did before. They didn't get the luck of Carolina to play a crippled NJ or a garbage pretender like Washington. This WAS actually progress, as fucked up as it may seem.

This all comes from one game. We wiped out game 5 with game 6. This is all about game 7. One solitary fucking game. I'm torn over throwing everyone out and setting out on some uncertain path with brand new pieces. I'm almost sure it will go nowhere other than to a quicker need to blow it up fully, while keeping them around and again improving the depth maybe maybe maybe takes us further next year. There's no way to know. It's all risky shit at this point.
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Yes, there was some improvement when looking at the final results, and some bad luck was definitely involved.

However, changes absolutely have to be made. No question in my mind about that.

What these changes are I can't say or speculate but changes have to be made, bottm line.
 
Habsy said:
I loathe losing top players for nothing. I get your sentiment but man that would be a kick in the nuts as far as asset management goes.
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It's the same difference. You'd use Marner's saved money on unsigned players, you'd trade Willy's contract for signed players.

And I'd rather keep Willy's contract too, if Marner is signing for more than him.
 
leafman101 said:
It is probably better asset management to sign Marner and trade Willy.

But there is no easy answer because it’s not a talent question. It’s a fuck these fragile fucks question.
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I agree and liked this post for the second sentence.

I'd rather see Marner go than Willie. I've never liked Marner even though he's amazed me at times.

However, those times weren't in the playoffs.
 
Willy had zero help at 5v5 in this series, still almost carried us to a 3-0 lead.

Just keep him and Matthews and move on. It's hard to fully explain how valueless a guy who generates all of his offence from the half boards is in the playoffs. Muffin of a shot, small, soft, and somehow slow. Willy isn't and never will be a complete player, but his ability to stretch the game with his speed and finishing. I'll take that over Mitch's passing in the playoffs every time. Get Willy some linemates and we're fine on the 2nd line with him anchoring it. Get Matthews some linemates who don't break out in hives when they touch the puck in the middle of the ice and the 1st line is fine with him anchoring it.

Playoff Tavares is addition by subtraction. Slow, soft, easy to play against, unproductive in a key role. It's not about the money, it's about expecting more out of our #2C and there being no reason to expect him to get anything but worse as we reduce his role as he ages. That 50 point pace of his? 11 of his 31 points as a Leaf in the playoffs has been on our #1 PP unit. What's he going to look like when he's no longer being gifted 1st unit minutes that he's not producing in? Hard pass.
 
leafman101 said:
And he did score in Calgary in the playoffs FWIW. Always been good in the clutch.

Not saying he’s worth what he’ll get but he’s not a Scott Laughton character guy.

He’s 28 year old Kadri.
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I'd love a 28 year old Kadri
 
Trading Willy for a legit #1 d and signing Marner and forcing Tavares to play for free could be the move.

If the #1d is available. Which he isn't. Which means the Leafs would have to identify someone who is miscast on another roster.
 
Leafs gotta use their nerds. All recent cup winners have stolen players from other teams that no one wanted (Bennett/Forsing/Montour, Marchessault/Karlsson, Kadri/Nichuskin/Toews/Lehkonen)

Meanwhile we’re giving up all our top prospects for depth players.
 
Preston said:
Trading Willy for a legit #1 d and signing Marner and forcing Tavares to play for free could be the move.

If the #1d is available. Which he isn't. Which means the Leafs would have to identify someone who is miscast on another roster.
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Dobson may be available. They're drafting Schaefer. There will be changes on the island as well.
 
MindzEye said:
Willy had zero help at 5v5 in this series, still almost carried us to a 3-0 lead.

Just keep him and Matthews and move on. It's hard to fully explain how valueless a guy who generates all of his offence from the half boards is in the playoffs. Muffin of a shot, small, soft, and somehow slow. Willy isn't and never will be a complete player, but his ability to stretch the game with his speed and finishing. I'll take that over Mitch's passing in the playoffs every time. Get Willy some linemates and we're fine on the 2nd line with him anchoring it. Get Matthews some linemates who don't break out in hives when they touch the puck in the middle of the ice and the 1st line is fine with him anchoring it.

Playoff Tavares is addition by subtraction. Slow, soft, easy to play against, unproductive in a key role. It's not about the money, it's about expecting more out of our #2C and there being no reason to expect him to get anything but worse as we reduce his role as he ages. That 50 point pace of his? 11 of his 31 points as a Leaf in the playoffs has been on our #1 PP unit. What's he going to look like when he's no longer being gifted 1st unit minutes that he's not producing in? Hard pass.
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Agree with keeping Willy over Mitch if a choice must be made there.

Disagree with dumping Tavares just to be rid of him. He doesn't have to be the 2C if he can't cut it there anymore. Having him be a 35 goal winger is still immense value if he's willing to take a huge cut to stay.
 
Habsy said:
Dobson may be available. They're drafting Schaefer. There will be changes on the island as well.
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Dobson would be an amazing add, and maybe a guy you could get without paying too much if the Isles don't want to pay him what he'll demand.

Could be a situation where they want more quantity than quality, and you can coax them with Robertson, OEL, and stuff.

Or maybe they want Rielly.
 
Would Marners camp want a sign and trade so he can play in an American city with no.or low taxes and agree to a cheaper salary..say 10-12 max but 8 years.

I truly wonder if there are teams that will pay him more than draisaitl after Rantanens 12?

8 x12= 96 mill
7 x12=. You do the math.

Maybe package a signed Mitch with another asset and you may be able to get a player like dobson...but Mitch don't want the island...or maybe he does?
 
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