what would a realistic return on matthews look like? lets be brutally honest with ourselves. fans often overvalue their players in hypothetical trades.
going our way is the fact that the cap is rising. if matthews wanted out and waived his no trade, it’s not like he’s on a bargain contract. he would need a new deal or extension soon after and he would be looking to cash in one last time before he’s way past his prime earning years. ruling out something crazy like a one for one elites deal, we would be looking at a first round pick, a roster player or blue chip prospect, and possibly some throw ins like low picks or low-ceiling prospects. i think thats a fairly realistic expectation and i’m not sure we get that much necessarily. the leafs have a history of getting low-balled and settling for less. it sucks to even contemplate getting less than that for him, but here we are.
i’d take a first, a second, a third, and Hagel.
