A couple of you are busy fighting about this, but this is the data behind it since the real core group started together with the Leafs in 2016.
Using 5v5 stats only in the playoffs –
Morgan Rielly is +14 (60F / 46A)
Mitch Marner is +13 (46F / 33A)
Auston Matthews is +8 (47F / 39A)
William Nylander is +1 (43F / 42A)
John Tavares is -8 (25F / 33A)In terms of G/60:
Marner: 2.54 F / 1.82 A
Rielly: 2.66 F / 1.99 A
Matthews: 2.52 F / 2.09 A
Nylander: 2.63 F / 2.57 A
Tavares: 2.01 F / 2.65 AIf you’re really getting into yet another Marner vs. Nylander argument – last year and 2019 were the only two playoff years that Nylander outperformed Marner in terms of his offensive output outweighing defensive liabilities.
But this really shouldn’t be about one vs the other. We know what they all bring to the table and we know what their liabilities are. Nylander will provide game breaking moments and Marner will provide more and sincerely better versatility.
The fact that in these playoffs Marner took elbows to the head, shots after the whistle and Nylander often just skated away and rarely to be seen in any of this answers the question as to whether Marner will deal with it.
But if Marner’s salary demands are in excess of $12m, the answer has to be no. If they sit in the same range as Nylander’s $11.5, you should try to figure out how to do it. Of course this also should note that if I were Mitch Marner and the entirety of Leaf Nation was booing me out of town, I’d go and make sure my new team beat the shit out of them when we played.
The Leafs are stuck between a rock and hard place.
But Marner is worth the 13 x 8. The first reason being he’s entering his prime and has been an 100 point per 82 game player for 5 years in a row. He also makes your #1 shooter, goal scorer, a better player both offensively and defensively. Additionally, that high price tag is simply the price of doing business in Toronto after what it costs him in taxes. And finally, who replaces Marner’s production on the UFA market or within the Leafs prospect system? The salary cap is going up by leaps and bounds for the next couple of years.
It’s a shitty price to pay but there simply is not a better option at the moment. Retain the asset, move forward accordingly. Trade Rielly, let Tavares walk.