Numbers suggest young Maple Leafs forwards might demand similar contracts ... Panthers high on ‘good pro’ Borgstrom ... Ekblad learned some of the enemy’s tricks at camp for forwards ... Why didn’t Burke protect Flames’ pick in Hamonic deal?
William Nylander or
Auston Matthews?
When it eventually comes time to negotiating a new contract for Mitch Marner, who will be used as a comparable?
At this time last year, the answer would have been Nylander after he and Marner finished with identical 61-point rookie seasons. But that’s no longer the case this year.
Marner, who headed into Wednesday night’s game with a team-leading 65 points in 76 games, has three more goals and 11 more points than Nylander. In a two-year span, his 126 points in 153 games (0.82 points per game) is closer to Matthews’ 122 points in 138 games (0.88) than it is Nylander’s 115 points in 157 games (0.73).
As a centre, Matthews plays a more valuable position than Marner and is arguably a more complete player. He also has far more goals (69 compared to Marner’s 39), more even-strength points (93 compared to Marner’s 79), and a far better plus-minus (plus-22 compared to Marner’s minus-3).
Then again, Chicago’s Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are two completely different players who don’t play the same position. And they received identical eight-year, $84-million contracts in 2015-16.
And also keep in mind that while Matthews and Nylander have played on a top line together for the past two seasons, Marner spent the first few months of this year in coach
Mike Babcock’s doghouse, averaging fourth-line minutes alongside Matt Martin and Dominic Moore.
It wasn’t until the all-star break, when Marner was elevated to a line with Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau, that the 20-year-old burst out offensively. Since then, he ranks just outside the NHL’s top 10 in scoring with 13 goals and 31 points in 25 games. And he’s doing it while averaging two fewer minutes per night than Matthews.
“Naz and Patty have been fun to play with, it’s been great,” said Marner, who admitted the start to the season weighed on his confidence. “You can get frustrated pretty quickly. I think that’s the thing I was doing. I was getting frustrated.”
First things first: The Leafs have to re-sign Nylander, whose entrylevel contract expires on July 1.
That won’t come cheap. Expect the 21-year-old to use Boston’s David Pastrnak (six years, $40-million) as a comparable. The following year, it gets even more difficult with Matthews and Marner both needing new contracts.
For Matthews, the number probably lies somewhere between Connor McDavid’s eight-year, $100-million contract and Jack Eichel’s eightyear, $80-million deal. And as long as Marner continues to produce at an elite level, there isn’t a reason why he shouldn’t be demanding the same.
THE OLD COLLEGE TRY
It’s the time of year when teams start signing players out of college for a two-week tryout. But while the Sabres (Casey Mittelstadt) and the Blackhawks (Dylan Sikura )have nothing to lose in giving up a roster spot to kid straight out of college, it’s a different scenario for the ninth-place Panthers, who expect 20-year-old Henrik Borgstrom to make his NHL debut on Thursday.
“We feel that he’s ready to be a good pro — not just a pro,” head coach Bob Boughner said of the first-round pick in 2016, who had 52 points in 40 games for the University of Denver. “I think if anything, it’s going to help us. It’s going to inject some youth and enthusiasm and fresh legs into our lineup at this time of year.”
A SPY IN CAMP
Florida’s Aaron Ekblad is tied for second among defenceman with 15 goals. He said a big reason for his offensive success this season occurred in the summer, when he sought out the skills/skating coach who has been working with McDavid, Taylor Hall and Mathew Barzal.
Ekblad, who was one of the few defencemen at the Power Edge
Pro camp, not only improved his speed, footwork and stickhandling, but he also learned how to counter some of the deception-type techniques that the top forwards all use. “With all the guys I saw at that camp in the summer, when I play against them I notice them using it,” he said. “The defensive game is extremely difficult these days. It’s all about knowing what’s coming.”
KINKAID LEADING THE CHARGE
I don’t know what’s more surprising: That the Devils are in a playoff spot or that it’s backup goalie Keith
Kinkaid — not Cory Schneider — leading the charge. While Kinkaid has won his past three starts, Schneider hasn’t won a game since Dec. 27 ... Wonder if the Devils, who have 21-year-old Mackenzie
Blackwood in their system, consider moving Schneider in the summer. If so, I wonder if the Canucks would be interested in taking him and his $6-million salary back.
HOW’S PAPA RATTIE?
Ty Rattie, who has four goals and seven points in nine games since being placed on McDavid’s line, joked to reporters the other day that his dad could score 100 points playing with the NHL’s leading scorer. So what does that say about Strome,
Mark Letestu and Drake Caggiula?
BIG BLUNDER BY BURKE
It’s hindsight, but why didn’t the Calgary Flames insist that the first-rounder they gave up in the
Travis Hamonic trade be lottery-protected? After all, Brian
Burke should have known better … the worst part about that is Calgary could have been in a position to draft another Tkachuk. Can you imagine?
ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION
For the second straight year, the Blues were sellers at the trade deadline. And for the second straight year, it looks like it will lead to a playoff spot. St. Louis, which traded
Kevin Shattenkirk to Washington last year, is 9-3-1 since trading Paul Stastny to Winnipeg ... That’s not an indictment on Stastny, who has 10 points in 13 games since joining the Jets and has looked terrific on a line with
Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers.
THE CUP CONTENDERS
With a little more than a week before the start of the playoffs, I’ve narrowed down my Stanley Cup contenders to the following five teams: Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Winnipeg and Toronto. Coincidentally, I wouldn’t be surprised if any of those teams bows out in the first round ... Vegas isn’t in my list of contenders for one reason: I’m still not sold on them. I hope I’m wrong, but if the Golden Knights see the Ducks in the first round, I’m predicting a four-game upset.