Auston Matthews’ change of player agent raises both questions and concerns for Toronto’s front office ... Patience is a virtue when it comes to winning Stanley Cups ... Look for Lamoriello to go after Caps backup
A change in player agents is normally something most teams shrug their collective shoulders about.
But when it’s Auston Matthews who does it, after the way in which his playoff season ended, after two meetings with coach Mike Babcock, with a big contract coming either this summer or next, it raises both questions and concerns in the front office of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There were telephone calls and text messages aplenty after Matthews left one of hockey’s superagents, Pat Brisson and the giant CAA firm to join up with Judd Moldaver
(who brought him to CAA) and the newly formed Orr-Wasserman agency.
The Leafs had a sound relationship with Brisson, who had dinner with Lou
Lamoriello during the Boston playoff series, and have historically had a sound relationship with Jeff Jackson, who handles many of the higher-end Orr clients.
What the Leafs want to know: What does this say about Matthews’ loyalty? What does this say about his relationship with Babcock, who tends not to talk to agents? What does this say about his apparent future captainship of the Leafs? And what does this say about the disappointing way in which Matthews’ season ended and the maximum money he is looking for after a playoff disappearance and 20 games lost to injury?
The Leafs adore Matthews, they just know less about him and wonder more about him today than they did yesterday.
THIS AND THAT
Memo to Leafs fans, Oilers fans, just about all hockey fans: It sometimes takes patience to win a Stanley Cup. Alex Ovechkin was drafted 14 years ago. Nicklas Backstrom was drafted
12 years ago. Braden Holtby and John Carlson were drafted 10 years ago. Evgeny Kuznetsov was picked eight years ago. All of them selected — the five most important Capitals — by general manager George
McPhee, fired for not being able to win in Washington ... The top three scorers in the Stanley Cup playoffs: Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, Backstrom ... Strength down the middle matters: The trio of Kuznetsov, Backstrom and Lars Eller combined for 73 playoff points. A year ago, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin combined for 55 points. The year before that, Crosby, Malkin and Nick Bonino combined for 55 points. It has been years and years since any trio of centres has been close to what the three Capitals managed this playoff season ... Right shooting defenceman Carlson is a free agent come July. It’s unlikely Washington can afford to keep him. Word is he’s looking for $8 million a year over eight years, which is P.K. Subban money. It’s too much money and too much term but as Lamoriello likes to say, every contract is too much money and too much term ... The biggest surprise of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Vegas aside: The amount of skill in
Tom Wilson’s game. Never mind the mindless and reckless hits for a minute. This guy has real finesse for a big man. He made a terrific stretch pass on Jakub
Vrana’s breakaway goal.
HEAR AND THERE
In Toronto, Lamoriello traded for Frederik Andersen, who was caught in a situation in Anaheim with too many goalies. In Jersey, Lamoriello traded for Cory
Schneider, who was in similar difficulty in Vancouver. Now on Long Island, look for Lamoriello to make a play for Washington backup goalie Philipp Grubauer,
who is a restricted free agent, and if Lamoriello gets him, look for him to sign Grubauer long-term with the Islanders ... Now playing Bryan Colangelo on Saturday Night Live:
Jon Lovitz. Yeah, that’s the ticket ... Honestly, before Colangelo got in his mess in Philadelphia, I had no idea what a burner account was on Twitter ... We’re going to miss J.A. Happ when he’s traded in July. He’s the Blue Jays MVP this season
... Brian Burke is writing a book, which should be fascinating. It won’t necessarily be the truth but it will be his truth ... Among coaches who have won the American Hockey League championship: Barry Trotz, Jon Cooper, Peter Laviolette, Bruce Boudreau, John Tortorella. Pretty impressive list ... It’s official, Terrell
Owens is out of his mind. He complained when he didn’t get quick entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Then, when voted in, he has announced he will not attend the induction ceremonies, which is one of the truly great football days of the year.
SCENE AND HEARD
The great Jose Altuve is hitting .341 after hitting .346 last year and .338 the year before that with Houston. The great Rod Carew once hit .350, .364 and .354 in consecutive seasons ... Department of dumb: If
LeBron James was going to injure his hand punching something, shouldn’t the wall have been named J.R.
Smith? ... Weird, they’re not having any kind of local civic reception to honour the Vegas Golden Knights ... For those who are counting, that’s eight championship rings for Steve Kerr, playing and coaching ... Sloane Stephens won the U.S. Open last year and lost the French Open on Saturday. Last time I saw her live, she was losing to Genie Bouchard in the first round of the 2016 Olympics in Rio ... What does Garth Snow do with the long list he has been keeping of media people who have slighted him now that he’s been fired as GM of the Islanders ... Devante
Smith-Pelly, the robust kid from Scarborough, scored seven playoff goals for Washington, which is more than he has scored in six of his nine NHL regular seasons ... An amazing number with Ovechkin, goal scoring aside: In 13 NHL seasons with the Capitals, he has only missed 29 games. He’s missed just eight games the past five seasons.
AND ANOTHER THING
There is concern already whether Shohei Ohtani can survive as a big-league pitcher. He’s already on the disabled list with a bum elbow. Tommy John surgery is not out of the question. Which is more than unfortunate for the slugging once in a modern era pitcher.
For the record, Babe Ruth lasted five seasons pitching — winning 23 and 24 games in his best years — before taking over as baseball’s ultimate slugger ... Washington Nationals, with 10 players on the disabled list, lead the National League East and played host to the Stanley Cup Friday night
... Kendrys Morales, stealing $11 million a year batting cleanup for the Blue Jays, has eight hits in his last five games, a sign he is actually breathing, but no home runs and no RBIs in that time ... Where exactly did this arbitrary 100pitch count came from? And does anybody know, pitcher to pitcher, arm to arm, whether it has any real meaning? ... Kyle Dubas’ first official trade as Leafs general manager. Nolan
Vesey to Edmonton for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Truth is, the Leafs have had some success with seventh-round picks, especially those from Sweden like Andreas Johnsson, Carl Gunnarsson and Anton Stralman
... What happens first, Dwane Casey gets a coaching job or the Raptors hire Casey’s replacement? ... Happy birthday to Zach
Hyman (26), Brent Sutter (56), Dan Fouts (67),
Ken Singleton (71), Mark Henry (47), Kate Upton
(26) and Kurt Walker (64).