Leafs seeking defence upgrade
GM aims to lock up Matthews, Marner
Bring them on. If other National Hockey League teams are thinking of tendering offer sheets to Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner when both become restricted free agents next summer, go ahead. This from Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas: It’ll be a waste of time.
“Our salary cap situation is set up that we can defend any of those threats without worry,” Dubas said during a rare scrum with reporters after the Leafs practised at the MasterCard Centre on Monday.
“I know (offer sheets) have become a huge topic of late, but I spend zero per cent of my time having any worry about that. If a team wants to go down that path with us, that’s the way it goes, but our goal will be to continue to work with these players. ”
Matthews and Marner are part of a long list of players who potentially could become restricted free agents on July 1. The group includes, among others, Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets, Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche and Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins.
“I look around the league right now and for whatever reason, it seems like the Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team that’s going to be the target of an offer sheet,” Dubas said. “Seems interesting to me. I think if you think of it probabilistically rather than far-reaching scenarios where that may happen, an offer sheet is completely permissible within the rules of the league.
“I understand why it’s a topic, because there are a lot of RFAs coming up this year who are highly talented. We are certainly not alone in that.”
While Dubas is talking with both Matthews and Marner, it’s not believed negotiations have become anything close to serious. Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris, has said his preference is to get a contract done once the season is over, thereby taking away any sort of in-season distraction.
But Dubas wants no part of the same kind of negotiations that happened with William Nylander. Both sides are happy now, but Dubas has no interest in going down to the final few minutes with Matthews and Marner, as he did with Nylander.
“We have to continue to work away with them and it will be our intention well before July 1 that we have an agreement, and that both players are here long-term,’’ said Dubas.
As for defenceman Jake Gardiner, who is headed for unrestricted free agency next summer, Dubas has been in contact with agent Pat Brisson.
“We would like him to be here, it’s not as simple as it sounds,” Dubas sad.
Dubas hinted he might upgrade the defence corps before the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 25.
“We would like to keep continuing to move the puck better from our own zone,” Dubas said.
But adding toughness, as some think the Leafs need to do in order to try to ensure a longer playoff run? Dubas bristled. “That takes on a life of its own, the whole toughness question,” Dubas said. “I just don’t buy it, myself. I know that there are a lot of pundits that say you have to have it, but I look at the teams that have had success and I don’t think bringing in one big person is going to change our culture and it’s not going to have us carry on with the process we have started.”