I think Nylander's contract was fair, Dubas' mistake there was just not getting up to that number earlier in the negotiations.
I think Matthew's contract was fair. I'm not worried one bit at this point about him bolting at 5 years, and his exceptional AAV reflects the fact that he's an exceptional player.
I think Marner's number was high. I'm not going to shy away from that. My main point of contention with those negotiations was that Marner clearly valued himself at Matthews' level and I'm not really convinced that he's there for a few reasons that I've already gone through. With that said it's done, it's signed for 6 years and if Mitch Marner is the "worst" contract on the team that's not going to cripple this group.
I wish all 3 of these contracts for lower for obvious fan-related reasons. I wish we got more steals like we've seen teams like Tampa and Boston get. But I've also spent years and years saying that elite players were underpaid and were idiots for taking less than what they should be getting. So it's hard for me to turn around now and be upset about that not happening.
I think Matthew's contract was fair. I'm not worried one bit at this point about him bolting at 5 years, and his exceptional AAV reflects the fact that he's an exceptional player.
I think Marner's number was high. I'm not going to shy away from that. My main point of contention with those negotiations was that Marner clearly valued himself at Matthews' level and I'm not really convinced that he's there for a few reasons that I've already gone through. With that said it's done, it's signed for 6 years and if Mitch Marner is the "worst" contract on the team that's not going to cripple this group.
I wish all 3 of these contracts for lower for obvious fan-related reasons. I wish we got more steals like we've seen teams like Tampa and Boston get. But I've also spent years and years saying that elite players were underpaid and were idiots for taking less than what they should be getting. So it's hard for me to turn around now and be upset about that not happening.