It was an off-hand comment made by Auston Matthews, probably not inclined to help push William Nylander into the corner. But it did. And when the Toronto Maple Leafs centre suggested he was not at all bothered by the notion of an in-season negotiation of a new contract, there was a subtle shift in the focus of the chattering classes around the NHL.
It’s almost as if Matthews’ willingness to walk and chew gum at the same time — I’ve never understood the reluctance for mature discussion of contracts in-season — has put his deal at the forefront of the Leafs’ plans. It helps, of course, that he and the team have had a blazing start without Nylander, who, if not necessarily becoming surplus to requirements, seems something less than irreplaceable at this point (although my guess is Nazem Kadri wouldn’t mind Kasperi Kapanen as a linemate.)
Matthews’ start has been a delight on several levels. First, it’s answered a couple of questions the way we all hoped they’d be answered: Is he upset about not being named captain? Nose out of joint with the love shown to John Tavares? Upset with head coach Mike Babcock after some of those unnerving stories at the end of last season? Seems not. Second, his start, and that of Morgan Rielly, has led to a kind of re-awakening of Leafs history, because one of the fallouts of no Stanley Cups since 1967 has been a cheapening of the memory of that which came before it.
Seriously, it’s been nice to get acquainted with Sweeney Schriner instead of it always being Sittler or Clark or Gilmour or Sundin.
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The NHL Network’s Brian Lawton told The Jeff Blair Show this past week that he believed the Leafs would need to go shorter term with two of the three players in order to keep them in place — to, in the words of the former player, general manager and agent, “kick the can down the road” in hopes of a more lenient salary cap or even a structured buy-out of Patrick Marleau’s deal, which has another year and $6.25 million remaining. We are hearing more and more of this from pundits around the league, with the corollary being that the Leafs need to be seriously contemplating moving on from Nylander.
Colleague Elliotte Friedman got us all talking when he suggested on Hockey Night In Canada Saturday that the Leafs might settle on a five-year deal this season instead of the requisite eight-year deal, which would allow Matthews to go back into the market. It would be a bold move that might redefine the business landscape of the game in much the same way that Tavares’ bold move to cut ties with the Islanders may signal the end of players’ traditional fear of leaving the nest.
Strange, isn’t it, that the younger the game gets, the more mature some of the approaches on the part of players? The future in the NHL may belong to the bold, be they players or teams.
NOW TWEET THIS
In which we celebrate the entry of two popular Olympians into the political ring … name-drop Barry Pederson … light a candle or 10 for Joachim Low … wonder what Jeremy Jeffress was thinking throwing slop in Game 2, and why it has to be Craig Counsell’s biggest concern going into L.A.
• A new type of sport for Isabelle Charest, who was elected in the Quebec provincial riding of Brome-Missisquoi as part of the governing CAQ majority; and Adam van Koeverden, seeking the federal Liberal nomination in Milton, held by CPC’S Lisa Raitt #fingerscrossed
• Probably not all that surprising that with his hat-trick Saturday, David Pastrnak is the second-fastest Bruins player to 100 career goals. But how many people would know Barry Pederson was the fastest? #forgotten
• Biggest concern for the Brewers after two NLCS games: Jeremy Jeffress, a 100-m.p.h. guy who issued a bases-loaded walk in Game 2 with a full-count curve to .200 batter Austin Barnes. Jeffress threw four curves on full counts to righties this season, giving up two walks and a hit #nobueno
• Germany’s embarrassing 3-0 loss to the Netherlands Saturday marked the first time in 33 years that the men’s national soccer team has lost five matches in a calendar year #deadmannschaft
• Pointing the finger at the NHLPA for Austin Watson’s reduction in suspension is wrong. Sorry, folks — the NHLPA works for the players, not society. The NHL has no written policy on domestic violence. The NHLPA would be negligent in not appealing #getitinwriting
• In the last three MLB post-seasons, every Game 1 winner in each LCS advanced to the World Series. The success rate of Game 1 winners is 59 per cent since the best-of-seven format kicked in in 1985. In 48 previous ALCS matchups, the winning percentage is 65 #weightofhistory
• Put me down as a big fan of the ‘Canes ‘storm surge’ victory celebration. Now if somebody could come up with something other than the fly-by bench glove tap for goals #it’stime
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THE ENDGAME
Cool hearing Astros Game 2 starter Gerrit Cole talk about the impact of the club’s use of analytics and video on his progression as a starter. Echoes of Justin Verlander from last season.
“The key principle was using a lot of the data and information they have to discern what is your strength and what your best stuff looks like, analytically,” Cole said, adding it becomes a matter of matching up that data with video of the actual pitch. “It’s not like they were reinventing the wheel — they were just showing me what I did well and then allowed me to attack. And the environment I’m in, in terms of having other guys who have bought into that kind of thing and made those adjustments successfully, has made the transition easier.”
Think about this: in the past two years, the Astros have had buy-in from Verlander, who was a 34-year-old Cy Young and MVP Award winner and six-time All-Star when the team acquired him late in 2017, and Cole, one of the game’s blazing pitchers, who was a first-overall pick, had already been an All-Star, and won 59 games doing it another way when he was traded from the Pirates. There are teams around Major League Baseball who will also tell you that the Red Sox have an army of analytics guys working in the clubhouse in-game to pass on information on things such as the opposing catchers signs.
This what the Blue Jays are up against, and why rolling your eyes at analytics in any sport without understanding their application is foolish.
Jeff Blair hosts The Jeff Blair Show from 9 a.m.–Noon ET on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. He is also co-host of ‘The Lede,’ a podcast with Stephen Brunt.
