Wayne Gretzky Shares what Nylander and Matthews Got to Do to Win
We reported earlier today that a big problem is preventing Matthews and Nylander from extending their contracts.
Recently, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky shared some ideas in a recent interview that could help solve the issue.
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Gretzky's Advice
Gretzky's perspective is simple: both players need to accept lower salaries to create a competitive team environment.
Here's what he said:
"Well, listen - there's only so much money to go around, right? That's where Brad Treliving has to sit down and figure out with his coaching staff, 'how does everybody fit in here?'. Obviously, you don't want to lose Auston Matthews. He's one of the top 3 or 4 players in the National Hockey League... I don't know what Brad's plan is, but obviously, you want to get one of the elite players ever to play the game re-signed.
In the old days, you just kept everybody, right? And you look at LA, they won two Stanley Cups. They had to rebuild because of the salary cap... Chicago won 3 Cups and basically had to tear down the organization, and now they're rebuilding.
I hope that players make as much money as they can. I hope they earn all the money that they make, but let's be honest; Connor [McDavid] is probably signed to a discount now. Auston [Matthews] is probably going to sign for a little bit of a discount because, at the end of the day, after you've played 7 or 8 years, it's no fun being knocked out in the 1st round or 2nd round.
Unfortunately for guys like Connor [McDavid] and Auston [Matthews] and Nathan MacKinnon - you've gotta leave some money in the pot because you need some teammates to be able to win a Stanley Cup, right?
It comes down to personal choice. Do I take all the money I can and basically maybe get knocked out in the 1st round? Or do I take a little bit less and show the team and show the organization that I want to win a Stanley Cup? - Wayne Gretzky on the idea of Auston Matthews and other star players needing to take less to help the team win."
In the old days, you just kept everybody, right? And you look at LA, they won two Stanley Cups. They had to rebuild because of the salary cap... Chicago won 3 Cups and basically had to tear down the organization, and now they're rebuilding.
I hope that players make as much money as they can. I hope they earn all the money that they make, but let's be honest; Connor [McDavid] is probably signed to a discount now. Auston [Matthews] is probably going to sign for a little bit of a discount because, at the end of the day, after you've played 7 or 8 years, it's no fun being knocked out in the 1st round or 2nd round.
Unfortunately for guys like Connor [McDavid] and Auston [Matthews] and Nathan MacKinnon - you've gotta leave some money in the pot because you need some teammates to be able to win a Stanley Cup, right?
It comes down to personal choice. Do I take all the money I can and basically maybe get knocked out in the 1st round? Or do I take a little bit less and show the team and show the organization that I want to win a Stanley Cup? - Wayne Gretzky on the idea of Auston Matthews and other star players needing to take less to help the team win."
To get the full context, you can listen to the complete interview in the follwing link:
Gretzky's argument makes sense. It's unfortunate that Matthews is waiting for Nylander to sign, and Nylander doesn't want to accept less money unless Matthews does.
It seems this deadlock will continue until one of them makes a mature decision...
Who do you think will sign first?
As seen on Hockey Patrol - Wayne Gretzky reveals what Matthews and Nylander have to do to win in Toronto
| POLL | ||
11 JUILLET | 545 ANSWERS Wayne Gretzky Shares what Nylander and Matthews Got to Do to Win Who do you think will sign first? | ||
| Matthews | 462 | 84.8 % |
| Nylander | 83 | 15.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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