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Auston Matthews Extension: 13.25M AAV x 4yrs

https://x.com/josephdzita/status/1760506402143957230

https://twitter.com/jonassiegel/status/1760507227025154170

This was before he scored #51.
 
Arn said:
We should have picked Laine.
Click to expand...

LMAO. Remember the Wiinipeg scribe (who ended up going to Vegas Knights) that got into a war of words with TO media defending Laine as the better pick??
 
Arn said:
We should have picked Laine.
Click to expand...

Still blows my mind that some of the guys who write about prospects ranked Laine ahead of Matthews. It was questionable at best then. It just seems absurd now.
 
If the Leafs can still compete every year, Matthews will be the greatest Leaf ever if he retires as a Leaf along with his Calder, 3 Ted Lindsay, 2 Hart Memorial, 8 Rocket Richards,2 Lady Bings and 3 Stanley Cups,

0.93 GPG, 1.38 PPG this season.

He will break the most goals as a Leaf next season.

Insane.
 
lamajama said:
Arn said:
We should have picked Laine.
Click to expand...

LMAO. Remember the Wiinipeg scribe (who ended up going to Vegas Knights) that got into a war of words with TO media defending Laine as the better pick??
Click to expand...

Gary Lawless.  There was also a poster on here who started a thread about "maybe we should consider Laine" before the draft.
 
Zee said:
lamajama said:
Arn said:
We should have picked Laine.
Click to expand...

LMAO. Remember the Wiinipeg scribe (who ended up going to Vegas Knights) that got into a war of words with TO media defending Laine as the better pick??
Click to expand...

Gary Lawless.  There was also a poster on here who started a thread about "maybe we should consider Laine" before the draft.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure there were some posters who suggested we drafted wrong when Laine's second season was "better" and the Jets had some playoff success.
 
bustaheims said:
Zee said:
lamajama said:
Arn said:
We should have picked Laine.
Click to expand...

LMAO. Remember the Wiinipeg scribe (who ended up going to Vegas Knights) that got into a war of words with TO media defending Laine as the better pick??
Click to expand...

Gary Lawless.  There was also a poster on here who started a thread about "maybe we should consider Laine" before the draft.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure there were some posters who suggested we drafted wrong when Laine's second season was "better" and the Jets had some playoff success.
Click to expand...
I think Laine can shoot the puck like not many can. It's a shame his career has gone off the rails. Hopefully, he'll be back to sniping goals soon. Wouldn't be shocked if he returns to 40 goals form some day.
 
cabber24 said:
I think Laine can shoot the puck like not many can. It's a shame his career has gone off the rails. Hopefully, he'll be back to sniping goals soon. Wouldn't be shocked if he returns to 40 goals form some day.
Click to expand...

Sure, but so can Matthews, and he can score in a lot of other ways that Laine has yet to show a real ability to do so. Not to mention the growth of their respective defensive games. Matthews always showed the higher ceiling and larger collection of skills. Laine has one truly elite skill and some other very good attributes, but can really only play on one side of the puck - and, like a lot of guys with elite one-timers/slapshots - is heavily reliant on powerplay success.

People fell in love with Laine's shot, calling him the next Ovechkin. The shot and size are the only things he had in common with Ovie, though. Matthews' game always had more to it and he's always had the impressive 5-on-5 scoring. It really should have never been a debate.
 
bustaheims said:
cabber24 said:
I think Laine can shoot the puck like not many can. It's a shame his career has gone off the rails. Hopefully, he'll be back to sniping goals soon. Wouldn't be shocked if he returns to 40 goals form some day.
Click to expand...

Sure, but so can Matthews, and he can score in a lot of other ways that Laine has yet to show a real ability to do so. Not to mention the growth of their respective defensive games. Matthews always showed the higher ceiling and larger collection of skills. Laine has one truly elite skill and some other very good attributes, but can really only play on one side of the puck - and, like a lot of guys with elite one-timers/slapshots - is heavily reliant on powerplay success.

People fell in love with Laine's shot, calling him the next Ovechkin. The shot and size are the only things he had in common with Ovie, though. Matthews' game always had more to it and he's always had the impressive 5-on-5 scoring. It really should have never been a debate.
Click to expand...
I wasn't comparing the two. I just hope Laine gets his game back.
 
cabber24 said:
bustaheims said:
cabber24 said:
I think Laine can shoot the puck like not many can. It's a shame his career has gone off the rails. Hopefully, he'll be back to sniping goals soon. Wouldn't be shocked if he returns to 40 goals form some day.
Click to expand...

Sure, but so can Matthews, and he can score in a lot of other ways that Laine has yet to show a real ability to do so. Not to mention the growth of their respective defensive games. Matthews always showed the higher ceiling and larger collection of skills. Laine has one truly elite skill and some other very good attributes, but can really only play on one side of the puck - and, like a lot of guys with elite one-timers/slapshots - is heavily reliant on powerplay success.

People fell in love with Laine's shot, calling him the next Ovechkin. The shot and size are the only things he had in common with Ovie, though. Matthews' game always had more to it and he's always had the impressive 5-on-5 scoring. It really should have never been a debate.
Click to expand...
I wasn't comparing the two. I just hope Laine gets his game back.
Click to expand...

Fair enough.
 
cabber24 said:
I wasn't comparing the two. I just hope Laine gets his game back.
Click to expand...

For sure.
I was reading about Connor Brown yesterday. Goalless this year after torn ACL last year
Not good things for the game.

What I would say is I would not have predicted as much of the divide between how Laine & Matthews turned out. But I can't say I knew their talents that well either.
 
The first time I saw Matthews shoot a puck in practice I thought, wow, what a release.  You knew he was going to being able to score goals.  But what I didn't realize is how big he is, and of course he's developed himself physically so he's almost a power forward.  Who now has a slapshot too.  And can deflect net-front, as he did last night.  Plus stick-lifting wizardry.  And world-class hand/eye.

As recently as the season before he won the Hart I was saying on here he was really really good, but not among the elite of the elite.  I was an idiot.

But I never advocated for Laine over him.  I think I am going to get that picture of smiling Shanny holding the winning Matthews ping-pong ball tattooed onto my back.
 
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