Tavares
- Thread starter Kin
- Start date
bustaheims
Active member
L K said:
I think we can already say it matters a lot less than a large portion of fans want to believe it does. Players follow the money and the opportunity to win. Everything else comes after that.
Highlander
Active member
No sir OEL is a great defenseman, no questions about that, mostly about trading Matthews. You never trade Matthews, at least not until we win 2-3 cups in a rowBates said:
Frank E
Active member
bustaheims said:
I'm not so sure that's exactly true. I think players, like anyone, considers family circumstances, quality of life/city, advancement opportunities, and teammates/friends/co-workers, as well as the dollars...especially when the dollars are going to be pretty damn close on most of the offers.
Kin
New member
Bender said:
We may be talking about two different things here but even if you want to make the case that they've occasionally targeted the wrong players they've been pretty successful with regards to landing the players they've targeted. Sometimes those benefits have been direct, othertimes indirect(Say what you will about signing Scott Gomez but they got a pretty solid return when they traded him). No matter what, the ability to get the guys you want is good.
As for the other thing, I really don't think Leafs fans are in any position to turn their nose up at a team that's never really bottomed out yet has still managed to make the cup finals fairly recently.
Nik the Trik said:
His first season with the team wasn't a raging success, but Shattenkirk took a pretty decent sized home-town discount when he signed with the Rangers last year.
L K said:
Some do, some don't. All players aren't the same. Parise left the Devils play close to home, Shattenkirk took a smaller deal than he likely could have got elsewhere to play in NY.
As for not attracting top free agents, there really haven't been very many top free agents from the area in the cap era and the Leafs have also been very bad for a very long time.
Kin
New member
Deebo said:
Yeah, but even then I'd be careful about trying to attach specific motivations there. Shattenkirk took a smaller deal to play in New York City. Parise went back home to Minnesota...and a giant mountain of cash.
Were they influenced by boyhood dreams of one day being a Ranger or whatever the singular version of The Wild is? Maybe, I'm sure they said something to that effect but I still think the equation is very different for the Leafs when "going home" carries its own unique headaches.
ZBBM
Active member
Does anyone here really think the Leafs *didn't* play the hometown angle in their pitch yesterday?
In fact, they didn't even have to mention it overtly ? just by presenting him with a Leafs "C" jersey (assuming that's accurate) they played it. If Tavares grew up dreaming of playing for the Leafs, that boyhood experience never goes away, even if he's sublimated it. Is it written there in his 70-page notebook? Doesn't matter ... it's there in his mind. Money etc. may well trump it [note to self: need different word there] but it's a factor.
As an aside, look up Lindros' pic the day he signed with the Leafs.
In fact, they didn't even have to mention it overtly ? just by presenting him with a Leafs "C" jersey (assuming that's accurate) they played it. If Tavares grew up dreaming of playing for the Leafs, that boyhood experience never goes away, even if he's sublimated it. Is it written there in his 70-page notebook? Doesn't matter ... it's there in his mind. Money etc. may well trump it [note to self: need different word there] but it's a factor.
As an aside, look up Lindros' pic the day he signed with the Leafs.
Bullfrog
Active member
I'm assuming the major pitch included:
- we don't suck like we used to
- we have lots of many to pay for non-hockey stuff, such as fancy planes, etc.
- the Gardiner Expressway will eventually be fixed (but, hey, you could always bike the waterfront instead)
- seriously, we don't suck anymore and with you, Matthews, Marner, and Nylander, we'll be playoff-bound for sure
- playoff goatees are A-OK!
- we don't suck like we used to
- we have lots of many to pay for non-hockey stuff, such as fancy planes, etc.
- the Gardiner Expressway will eventually be fixed (but, hey, you could always bike the waterfront instead)
- seriously, we don't suck anymore and with you, Matthews, Marner, and Nylander, we'll be playoff-bound for sure
- playoff goatees are A-OK!
mr grieves
New member
Nik the Trik said:
I'd guess they could mount a compelling enough case around being one of the top 8 teams in the league, trending up as their young stars continue to develop, having a coach he's won with before, investing in a lot of off-the-ice perks, and being able to afford him...
Kin
New member
mr grieves said:
Yeah, but you want to save at least a five minute bloc for "...Also, John, you're from here! Not San Jose! Remember Toronto? The city you lived in? That's where you'd be playing! For the Leafs! Sick of just calling your mom when you could see her every day? Can't do that in Dallas!"