Here's what's interesting about Elliott Friedmann and the ongoing Mitch Marner situation, which I get asked about at least once a stream. What's this? Don't be surprised if Marner situation, if the Marner situation plays out over the next season in Toronto. God damn it. The delicate negotiations between player and team for a win-win with the leaf seeking a beneficial trade or strategic use of cap space. That's obvious to anybody that knows this. I'm reading a breakdown of this. There are concerns within the leaves organization if Marner remains unsigned in a trade based on emotions like the Codry trade a few seasons ago, which the Leaps do not want to repeat. They fear Marner could thrive as a great player in a quieter market. By the way, they're right about that. He will thrive wherever he goes. That's what I believe. Here's the quote, If the contract demands on both sides are crazy, it could lead to a divorce. But on June second, I'm not certain that Marner will be traded.

All right. Wow. All right.

Who's the GM?

Brad D. Living. Okay.

So he wasn't here when the Kajia Trade happened? Yes. Okay. Who's the coach?

That would be Craig Berube.

Oh, okay. Well, he wasn't here when the Kajia Trade happened. Fire Shanehan? Immediately right now? Okay, good. This is why. This is why. Okay. I'm afraid of the fans. We don't want to do the... Let's just keep... This dude does not manage anything like how he played. All right, here's another year of this shit. Can't wait. Here's what I'll say.

The longer the least hang on to Marner, the more his number can go up.

Here, how about this? How about this? If you're keeping him, I want to know before the season starts. I'm not doing this shit. You probably are. I'm not doing this shit. No fan has any appetite for this shit. You're right, but they probably are. I I don't want to hear about this all year. You'll be hearing it. Oh, my God. What if it's like the cadre trade? We're what? Was Marner suspended in back-to-back playoffs, fucking his team.

And then suspended for the new team. Yeah.

And then the year after, fucks his new team. And then the next year-They win the Cup. They win the Cup and he goes, Nanny Boohoo, I didn't fuck my team that pays me millions of dollars this time. Right? And then keep going. And also, where's the leaves? Where's the leaves, Miko Rantan? Where's the leaves, Nathan McKinnon? Where's the leaves, Kael McCart?

Keep going with Cajri. And then goes to Calgary and underperforms.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What? What are you talking about? Emotional. What are you talking about? Who's emotional?

They had to trade Cajri.

Fradjra Living is emotional? He's been here less than a year. He's emotional. He's been here a year. He's emotional about this Marner trade. Craig Berube is emotional about this. Who's emotional? Emotional who? Guys, use your fucking head. The Kadre trade was using your head. The emotional thing would have been going, No, but I love my Boo Bear. I don't want to keep him. That would have been emotional. I don't care what he's done. I'm going to keep my Boo Bear. I think where the leafs fucked up with the Cadry Trade is making a shitty fucking trade. You can bring it-Curvewood and Berry, you stink. What are you talking about? What I do?

We have the trade, and we're just bringing it up. Here's the trade. The trade stinks. There it is. Hold on.

This trade is poohbut. Nazem Khadri, Calleigh Rosen, and a 2023 round pick that turned into Jean-Luc Fouti for Tyson Berry. Yuck. Alex Kerfoot. Yuck. And a 2026 round pick that turned into Joe Miller. I don't even know if the least still have rights.

The trade didn't feel that bad at the time.

I think instantly when that trade was made, people were like, great, Tyson Berry, Alex Kerfoot. Now, there's a real dubest guy, and that should have been your first- Does nothing ever. That should have been. And then people spent the next four years trying to explain to us how Kerfoot, and by the way, his big fat contract, he had a big deal. They signed him immediately.

It was four years, 3.5. 3.5 per. Yeah, man.

Crazy money.

Dude, it was one of those trades where at the time you're like, Okay, they need a defenseman, so that's good. They need a right-handed defenseman, so that's good. Then they took the ice and you went Oh, right. He's a power plate quarterback, and they have a guy who scored 20 goals already from the back end.

What are they doing? Yeah, well, they tried to get TJ Brodie.

They tried to get TJ Brodie.

Brodie didn't want to come.

They wouldn't wave. Oh, no, No, it was Cadre wouldn't go to Calgary.

He wouldn't go.

Because he wanted to stay. That's how he tells the story is he had a limited no trade clause. Calgary was one of the teams he said no to. Colorado wasn't on the list, so he got traded to Colorado.

This is what you do if you're leafsmanagement. How are these things remotely related? Which they didn't do, by the way, at the time. If you're using this as a backdrop, leafsmanagement, what you do at that time is you go to Nazem and you go, Listen, your time in Toronto is done. We're trying to find you a position where, Oh, I don't want to be gone here. It really doesn't matter.

No, you got to do right by your guys.

It really doesn't matter what... You sit him down and you say, Nazem, it's over. It's over because of A and B. And there has to be consequences for actions, which was the point of making the trade. And the problem is that there have been no consequences for playoff failure. So when we take the cadre deal, which was made, and in retrospect, a big mistake.

He's the only guy who's ever paid for it.

He's the only guy that's ever paid for it.

He's the only guy who's ever paid for it.

It blows me away about the Leaps organization. If they don't make this move this summer, it's really just, You know what, guys? We were not creative enough to do something else, so we'll do the same.

All right, so you're moving, John.

Well, they can't move, John.

All right, well, you're moving, Morgan.

And then what happens? So let's say they don't make the trade. So then you're resigning Mitch Marner or you're letting him walk to free.

And that's my point, Jessie. What the hell? If they go into this season with Mitch Marner and they want to try to resign him, his number goes up with each passing game because he gets more of the cards the closer we get to the experience of that contract.

I think it's possible to make an emotional deal, and you don't want to do that. I think it's also, or rather an emotional decision. You don't want to make an emotional decision. I think it's also possible to make a completely soulless one. And this is that. Why can't-What are you doing?

That's exactly it. By the way, six, seven million bucks a year, whatever Shandy is getting paid, for three and a half, four million, whatever Trio Living is getting paid, you're paid to be soulless.

This is the decision that an AI in NHL 24 would make. Well, this player puts up this amount of points this season, and he stays as good in the regular season as he does in the play-off. There's no meter for, Oh, this guy disappears in game 5, 6, and 7, in the video games.

Oh, you're saying the AI would stick it out?

Yeah, the AI would stick it out.

Because they don't understand the context of what actually unfold.

So there you go, MLSE. Okay, how much does Brandon Shana make versus a ChatGPT subscription? Because you might as well just get that. What do you need a president for?I.

Would also say, Steve- What do you need it for? To add to that. When people say, Well, what are they going to get back? What if there was no good trade out there? Well, then that's their fault. That's their failure. You've got 10 to 11 million dollars wrapped up in Shani and Troliving alone. If I am a member of the MLSC board, I'd say, What do you mean? Then obviously, you didn't work hard enough. They make as much together as Mitch Marner does. Are you telling me that doing nothing is okay?

Expectations go down, your phone bill goes up, and one day we'll all die. Just talk.