Austin Matthew's to Buffalo? What would it take.

[RETURNTOGLORY]

There is a ton of dislike for Matthew's right now in Toronto, and many are talking about a change in scenery for him and a complete rebuild for Tonto.

I feel he played a complete 200 foot game during the olympics.

That being said, would you want his goal scoring touch here on the Sabres? And what are you willing to give up for him?

Enquiring minds want to know. 🤔

[Eleven]

Just because it's legal now doesn't mean you should be using 24/7.

[That Aud Smell]

[Porous Five Hole]

11 minutes ago, RETURNTOGLORY said:

There is a ton of dislike for Matthew's right now in Toronto, and many are talking about a change in scenery for him and a complete rebuild for Tonto.

I feel he played a complete 200 foot game during the olympics.

That being said, would you want his goal scoring touch here on the Sabres? And what are you willing to give up for him?

Enquiring minds want to know. 🤔

Auston Matthews has 51 points. You know who else has 51 points? Alex Tuch.  We don’t want to pay Tuch $10.5MM next year, but you want to pay Matthews $13MM? 

[shrader]

2 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Auston Matthews has 51 points. You know who else has 51 points? Alex Tuch.  We don’t want to pay Tuch $10.5MM next year, but you want to pay Matthews $13MM? 

For 2 more years and then he gets even more in free agency.

[LGR4GM]

Matthews will be 29 before next season starts. He makes 13.25mil for another 2 seasons. That means he would be 31 before a new contract starts. 

[RETURNTOGLORY]

17 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Just because it's legal now doesn't mean you should be using 24/7.

Then STOP hooking me up! 

[tom webster]

18 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Auston Matthews has 51 points. You know who else has 51 points? Alex Tuch.  We don’t want to pay Tuch $10.5MM next year, but you want to pay Matthews $13MM? 

A) I like Alex Tuch a lot and wouldn’t pay him over $9M 

B ) Matthews is worth every penny of his contract

C) I wouldn’t give up what it would take to acquire him

D) Toronto wouldn’t trade him to Buffalo if they were the only team willing to trade for him

[Porous Five Hole]

2 minutes ago, tom webster said:

A) I like Alex Tuch a lot and wouldn’t pay him over $9M 

B ) Matthews is worth every penny of his contract

C) I wouldn’t give up what it would take to acquire him

D) Toronto wouldn’t trade him to Buffalo if they were the only team willing to trade for him

Why do you feel like Auston is worth every penny of that contract?

[tom webster]

10 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Why do you feel like Auston is worth every penny of that contract?

He’s a top five player in the league. He’s had a down year but he’s a perennial fifty goal leader and I well respected leader amongst his peers. He’s been burdened by a poorly constructed team and crazy expectations in Toronto.

[Porous Five Hole]

Just now, tom webster said:

He’s a top five player in the league. He’s had a down year but he’s a perennial fifty goal leader and I well respected leader amongst his peers. He’s been burdened by a poorly constructed team and crazy expectations in Toronto.

I 100% agree with your last sentence.

Leafs fans think Auston is declining already and has physical ailments. 

To me, I believe he’s still a top two-way 1C…but he’s not the generational scorer he was earlier in his career.  And scoring goals is why he makes $13MM. 

[mjd1001]

54 minutes ago, tom webster said:

A) I like Alex Tuch a lot and wouldn’t pay him over $9M 

B ) Matthews is worth every penny of his contract

C) I wouldn’t give up what it would take to acquire him

D) Toronto wouldn’t trade him to Buffalo if they were the only team willing to trade for him

I posted about this in another thread.

Tuch, Byram, Quinn, and a pick/prospect.

I'm not sure about Leaf management, but I know there are some things Leaf fans would LOVE to have now:  A forward in his prime who is a hard-working, two-way player that can put up 30 goals (Tuch).  A highly talented, potential first pair D-man that is young (Bryam). To take a shot on a guy who might be ready to step up and become a very good forward who is a top-10 pick (Quinn), and a first round pick (that they haven't had many in a while)

Its a winger vs a center, but I think you are getting a major upgrade in Matthews over Tuch.  Matthews is in his prime and over the last 5 years is the single best goal scorer in the league. He also had some votes for the Selke.

Quinn because maybe Toronto wants a 24 year old former 8th overall pick, and I don't think having a Rochester guy (Rosen, Östlund, Helenius) replacing him is all that much of a drop off.

Bryam. Well, I think you have to sweeten the deal. Bryam to me is 4th in terms of your top 4 d-men.

Bryam's deal runs the same lenght as Matthews.  Tuch you'd have to pay big $$ for next year.  I think the money on that deal would be close enough to even to make it work.

And the PP. Matthews has both the shot, and the ability to have the puck go through him on the PP.  With him out there with Tage and Dahlin, you now have 2 elite shooters and 2 elite puck distributors on the PP.

You would be messing with the 'chemistry' a bit of the current team, but if Matthews is "healthy and 'on'", you would be getting one of the top 5 players in the league. I'd take that chance on the 2 years remaining he currently has when most of what I am giving up is also only with me for 2 years or less.

The current team led by Thompson, Tuch, Norris, Mcleod, Benson  Dahlin, Power, Bryam, and Samuelsson sure looks like its good enough to get to the playoffs.  Taking Tuch and Bryam off of that list and replacing Matthews into it is a team that has a BETTER chance to go much deeper into the playoffs.

Edited March 2 by mjd1001

[tom webster]

26 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

I 100% agree with your last sentence.

Leafs fans think Auston is declining already and has physical ailments. 

To me, I believe he’s still a top two-way 1C…but he’s not the generational scorer he was earlier in his career.  And scoring goals is why he makes $13MM. 

He’s had some injuries and had to adjust to Berube the last two years and he’s still scoring on a forty goal pace.

[mjd1001]

6 minutes ago, tom webster said:

He’s had some injuries and had to adjust to Berube the last two years and he’s still scoring on a forty goal pace.

Injuries yes, but he still is right in the middle of his prime.  I wouldn't want him for the next 8 years, but the next 2? heck yeah.

Through this season and the last 4 before this season, goals scored in the league:

Draisaitl:  231

Pastrnak: 213

McDavid: 201

MacKinnon: 197

Ovechkin: 191

Matthews?  228...but in less games than any of them (3 behind the leader Draisaitl, but with 21 less games played)

I do not like Matthews. I think he's one of the best examples of a 'diva'. He doesn't seem to fit in with the 'character of the city like Buffalo'. I don't think he'd want to come here to play.  Honestly I do buy into liking the 'guys that want to be here' rather than the 'guys who are hear because you paid them a lot' thing. But Matthews for 2 years? Again, I think he's a top 5 player in the league. I'd take him for the next 1.5-2 years.

 

Edited March 2 by mjd1001

[French Collection]

NO

He has the Leafs stink on him and would prevent the Sabres from ever advancing beyond the first round.

Seriously, he would help but the Leafs don’t make this deal and Jarmo won’t overpay to make this happen.

I do not like him at all so this would be a dagger to my love for this team.

[shrader]

It depends on other moves in the next two years, but Utah feels like a great fit with the owner trying to make a big splash. 

Edited March 2 by shrader

[RETURNTOGLORY]

2 hours ago, tom webster said:

A) I like Alex Tuch a lot and wouldn’t pay him over $9M 

B ) Matthews is worth every penny of his contract

C) I wouldn’t give up what it would take to acquire him

D) Toronto wouldn’t trade him to Buffalo if they were the only team willing to trade for him

Would you trade Tuch + for Matthew's? 

[tom webster]

32 minutes ago, shrader said:

It depends on other loves in the next two years, but Utah feels like a great fit with the owner trying to make a big splash. 

Wouldn’t that suck for Arizona. Utah takes your team and then your favorite son.

[Kristian]

What would it take? Mental illness - hard pass!

[Eleven]

2 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Why do you feel like Auston is worth every penny of that contract?

He did just captain an Olympic gold medal team.

What would you have said about the brat in 2010?  (He was still a brat then.)

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

I 100% agree with your last sentence.

Leafs fans think Auston is declining already and has physical ailments. 

To me, I believe he’s still a top two-way 1C…but he’s not the generational scorer he was earlier in his career.  And scoring goals is why he makes $13MM. 

What the Leaves fans think is probably not what the GM thinks.   However, I am seeing a lot of negative comments on Mathews coming from Toronto that is related to the Olympics.  

I would love to see Toronto trade him and get fleeced.  They let Marner go, next they should trade Mathews and then spend the next 20 years in the basement of the Atlantic division.  

I do not see how Mathews fits in Buffalo salary wise, but him leaving Toronto might be the best thing for him.  

Edited March 2 by Pimlach

[Doohickie]

[OverPowerYou]

If he would lose the mustache I would trade for him 

Edited March 2 by OverPowerYou

[msw2112]

Maybe it's just because he plays for a rival, but I've never been a big Matthews fan.  He's a great goal scorer, but I was never a big fan of the rest of his game.  I never saw the grit, two-way play, and that little something extra that great players bring in the playoffs.  That said, I haven't seen him play that much and both the Leafs and Team USA think highly enough of him to make him the captain, so maybe there's more to him than I've seen over the years.

Either way, I believe that the assets required to acquire and then pay Matthews would be too much for a Sabres team that seems to finally be breaking through.  At this point, we've suffered through several rebuilds and the latest one finally seems to be taking shape.  I'd rather stay the course and make some tweaks than make a major deal that would blow up the roster for a single player.  

[Porous Five Hole]

28 minutes ago, Eleven said:

He did just captain an Olympic gold medal team.

What would you have said about the brat in 2010?  (He was still a brat then.)

In 2010, I would have also called him overpaid shortly after he finished the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Kharkiv minor ice hockey team.