Steve Stamkos?

[Heroic Shrimp]

Having your top 3 centers be:

Stamkos
Matthews
Kadri

is a very good thing. I'd imagine that'll be among the best top 3 centers in the league.

Plus Bozak!!!

 

[sneakyray]

If I'm Stamkos and I had the health scare I had this year, I'm getting money and I'm getting term.

This is actually a pretty good point. 

But to your other point about what Toronto really has to offer, I think coach Babcock under contract for the next million years is a big plus.

I think that if the leafs really want him babcock, lou, and shanahan will sit down with stamkos and his agent and go through their world famous vision for the team.

basically they'll say that they plan on contending for the cup in X number of years, this is how we are going to do it and could you just imagine being a top forward from toronto on a cup winning leaf team?

and they have to pay him.

 

[Peter D.]

Not only is there absolutely no benefit for Stamkos in signing a short-term deal, it makes just as little sense for the Leafs to offer something like that.  What's the point of going after him if he wouldn't be here for the long haul and for the years in which the team plans to be competitive? 

 

[sneakyray]

Not only is there absolutely no benefit for Stamkos in signing a short-term deal, it makes just as little sense for the Leafs to offer something like that.  What's the point of going after him if he wouldn't be here for the long haul and for the years in which the team plans to be competitive?

bridge type contract....a show me deal.

needs to stay healthy before I give you 7 years

 

[bustaheims]

bridge type contract....a show me deal.

needs to stay healthy before I give you 7 years

I get your thinking, but we're not talking about a guy coming off a couple injury plagued, unproductive seasons, or having suffered a potentially career threatening injury. A number of teams will be offering him 7 years - some at near the annual rate you're suggesting. There's no benefit to him whatsoever.

 

[Peter D.]

bridge type contract....a show me deal.

needs to stay healthy before I give you 7 years

Why would Stamkos need (or want to sign) a show me deal? 

If it's not the Leafs offering 7 years, it'll be someone else.  He'd be a fool to take anything less than 5 years (and he only signs for 5 years if the AAV nears the max amount).

 

[sneakyray]

just for the record I was playing devils advocate...and being sarcastic.

 

[mr grieves]

In a short period of time, the Leafs have gone from a team that was extremely short of talent to being able to take a pass on one of the league's premier players.  Hilarious.

It really wasn't too long ago that Clarkson and Bolland could have been cornerstone players on this team (well, at least salary cap wise).

Dude, put a warning on posts like this.  I'm suffering flashbacks.

Do you remember that Free Agency day after Nonis bought out Grabovski? How he said he was so relieved -- and sounded so pleased with himself -- that he managed to lock down #1C Tyler Bozak and shore up the Maple Leafs depth at center ice...?

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

JVR-Matthews-Stamkos
Hyman-Nylander-Brown
Soshnikov-Kadri-Komarov

I'm just posting this so I can look at it every now and then.

*cough* *cough* Marner *cough* *cough*

Oh right, that guy. Probably starts on the 4th line in any event.

Don't forget Andreas Johnson!

 

[Frank E]

JVR-Matthews-Stamkos
Hyman-Nylander-Brown
Soshnikov-Kadri-Komarov

I'm just posting this so I can look at it every now and then.

*cough* *cough* Marner *cough* *cough*

Oh right, that guy. Probably starts on the 4th line in any event.

Don't forget Andreas Johnson!

He's destined for the Marlies this year, we figure, right?

 

[Bullfrog]

He's destined for the Marlies this year, we figure, right?

Hard to say. He's one year younger than Soshnikov so it would fit the timeline. But, I think this year was so clearly the year of hte tank and that next year will be introducing all the young players that he could make the direct leap. He was 5th in the SHL for points, so I think he's got a real chance of going straight to the Leafs. Or, if he does go to the AHL, I doubt it's for very long.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

He's destined for the Marlies this year, we figure, right?

Hard to say. He's one year younger than Soshnikov so it would fit the timeline. But, I think this year was so clearly the year of hte tank and that next year will be introducing all the young players that he could make the direct leap. He was 5th in the SHL for points, so I think he's got a real chance of going straight to the Leafs. Or, if he does go to the AHL, I doubt it's for very long.

We could probably squeeze him in on our 5th line.

 

[herman]

He's destined for the Marlies this year, we figure, right?

Hard to say. He's one year younger than Soshnikov so it would fit the timeline. But, I think this year was so clearly the year of hte tank and that next year will be introducing all the young players that he could make the direct leap. He was 5th in the SHL for points, so I think he's got a real chance of going straight to the Leafs. Or, if he does go to the AHL, I doubt it's for very long.

We could probably squeeze him in on our 5th line.

Subbing in for the inevitable Lupul injury?

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

JVR-Matthews-Stamkos
Hyman-Nylander-Brown
Soshnikov-Kadri-Komarov

I'm just posting this so I can look at it every now and then.

*cough* *cough* Marner *cough* *cough*

Oh right, that guy. Probably starts on the 4th line in any event.

Don't forget Andreas Johnson!

He's destined for the Marlies this year, we figure, right?

If he is it'll be systems/smaller ice related.

If he picks the systems stuff up fairly quickly in camp he probably has the talent to start with the Maple Leafs.

What is really a strange concept for me as a Leafs fan is that we might have too many good young players to the point we don't have spots for them. I still suspect we will see one or two more Grabner type deals where multiple assets are shipped for one more valuable piece.

I know they still have to resolve some RFA signings etc but as it stands they will be exposing quite a few good young players to waivers at the end of camp next season.

 

[caver]

He's destined for the Marlies this year, we figure, right?

Hard to say. He's one year younger than Soshnikov so it would fit the timeline. But, I think this year was so clearly the year of hte tank and that next year will be introducing all the young players that he could make the direct leap. He was 5th in the SHL for points, so I think he's got a real chance of going straight to the Leafs. Or, if he does go to the AHL, I doubt it's for very long.

We could probably squeeze him in on our 5th line.

Subbing in for the inevitable Lupul injury?

Has Lupul been on anyone's projected line up card for next season ??

 

[Frank E]

He's destined for the Marlies this year, we figure, right?

Hard to say. He's one year younger than Soshnikov so it would fit the timeline. But, I think this year was so clearly the year of hte tank and that next year will be introducing all the young players that he could make the direct leap. He was 5th in the SHL for points, so I think he's got a real chance of going straight to the Leafs. Or, if he does go to the AHL, I doubt it's for very long.

My rationale was what Patrick suggested:  getting used to smaller ice and systems stuff.

 

[herman]

He's destined for the Marlies this year, we figure, right?

Hard to say. He's one year younger than Soshnikov so it would fit the timeline. But, I think this year was so clearly the year of hte tank and that next year will be introducing all the young players that he could make the direct leap. He was 5th in the SHL for points, so I think he's got a real chance of going straight to the Leafs. Or, if he does go to the AHL, I doubt it's for very long.

My rationale was what Patrick suggested:  getting used to smaller ice and systems stuff.

He has (hopefully) a month or two of that with the Marlies already while they pursue the Calder Cup. Then an entire summer in Toronto wouldn't be out of the question, ostensibly training with Nylander et al. It's not game stuff, but it does help with the acclimatization process.

I think Training Camp will be quite the showcase of skill and a dogfight for spots in the lineup. We will lose some names we've grown accustomed to due to their waiver eligibility but inability to crack the lineup, hopefully for picks/younger prospects in return, or Grabner-esque trades.

 

[Kin]

This is actually a pretty good point. 

But to your other point about what Toronto really has to offer, I think coach Babcock under contract for the next million years is a big plus.

It's not a minus, I wouldn't think. But I think with something like that it's really hard to guess. If, just for instance, Nashville is one of the other teams in the mix or maybe Buffalo I wouldn't jump at saying Babcock is an advantage over Laviolette or Bylsma. So long as it's a good coach, I think it'll just come down to personalities and how they mesh.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

I'd still be all in on Stamkos.  Matthews or no Matthews, I just don't see any reason to pass on a young talent like that.

As Patrick O'Sullivan put it on 590 this morning, there's likely no way that Stamkos would want to come to Toronto now and ultimately (or very shortly) be the #2 guy behind Matthews both on the ice and in public opinion.

I don't see why that would be the case or how he could think that so likely unless he actually spoke with him about it.  Plenty of star players have not been concerned about being surrounded with other star players.  I can't imagine he's that full of himself that he would scoff at playing somewhere simply because there is another highly touted player there.

And there would be a very obvious way for Stamkos to show that he should be seen as #1...outperform him.  But I can't see a guy from Markham, ON, playing for the Leafs and, presumably, lighting it up on the Leafs, not being revered in Toronto.

EDIT:  And really - the guy is 2nd in goals per game since entering the league, 2nd only to perhaps the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.

If the Leafs could get him for under $10M per year I'd do it.  It will be years (maybe even 6-7) before there are any sort of cap issues.

To be clear, that was O'Sullivan's opinion and I was more relaying it than endorsing it.  But he was very articulate and his opinion about it as a player was strong and defined, and not the Glenn Healy kind of strong and defined.  I have no idea how much other players would agree with him.

To clarify more, here's my transcription of O'Sullivan's opinion, as a player, about Stamkos not likely wanting to sign in Toronto:

"It?s not because the Leafs aren?t completely interested, I think they would be.  But when I look at it from a player?s perspective [....]  for me, he?s looking at going to a place that is going to have their new #1 guy for a decade, hopefully, if things go well for Auston and the team.  So I just don?t see how it makes sense for Steven more importantly than anybody else;  I don?t know why he would want to go there and walk into a situation where they?re realistically 3 or 4 years from really being a team that?s contending and then to be their 2nd line centre or to play wing.  That?s one of the reasons he?s unhappy in Tampa because he?s been put on the wing, you know Tyler Johnson has kind of come in and taken a little bit of the ice time that was usually given to him without thinking twice about it.  So that?s really kind of where my thoughts come from.  If he?s looking for the money that I believe he is, which would be a max deal like Kane and Toews have, I don?t see a lot of teams even being interested in that, and I don?t see a team wanting to pay a guy that much money that?s not even going to be their #1 guy."

 

[Kin]

Yeah, I think that's an important thing to keep in mind. Not everyone is going to be looking at Stamkos' decision from a "maybe he doesn't really care about money" standpoint.