Nik the Trik said:RedLeaf said:Or he would have signed a one year deal and demanded a trade ?
Or not have played at all. Or signed an offer sheet for the deal he eventually signed. The simple reality is that the Leafs had absolutely no control over what Nylander eventually did. They didn't know what effect his absence might have had on the rest of the team or how it would have affected their negotiations with Matthews and Marner.
It's only the most simplistic, ill-informed sort of reading of this situation that would see the Leafs as being definitely able to control the outcome here while simply disregarding the significant downsides that could have been a result of throwing a grenade into the team's progression. It's armchair quarterbacking by someone who doesn't understand the fundamentals of the position.
You are correct. It's just possible that by holding firm in what they believe to be fair for Nylander just might have Matthews and Marner thinking they might have to accept a little less. None of know how it would have turned out but missing a couple of months to gain very little did not serve the Leaf's well.