mitch had definitely considered an escape plan from the leafs before this year and who could blame him. i think it's pretty obvious he believed in them and wanted it to work specifically this playoff run more than anything else. he was so overtly emotional about everything, i don't know how you could doubt that....
being in toronto and playing for toronto means something different and probably way more intense for him than for any other core leaf. it's really easy for guys like willy and auston to give platitudes about how they want to be here after they sign when their deals line up magically during times like a new gm not wanting to lose talent before the leafs fail 2 more times in the playoffs. it's easy and they leave in the summer and no one pins it on them or skews their clumsy wording every 5 minutes just bc they can, and they get to escape and their family isn't embroiled in it (even if they are like say your dad weighing in on your contract and being the reason it gets held up for a while, cough, it doesn't get spun the same way). back when jt came, he "took less" to come to toronto but even that is just a narrative thing like... he was making way above market value to play hero and not play like an $11 mil player and ~come home~ and make leafs fans feel better. that was about the timing and fucked the following deals which is smth mitch specifically gets flak for but no one elsee.
there was no positive solution to this, genuinely. i wanted mitch to stay so badly, and i don't doubt part of him did too, but imagine if he did, lol. the timing is horrendous. everyone hungry for change but getting mad that it didn't go down "correctly" on his end is just upset that he's gone and that's fine, but it's such idiotic hypocritical anger. he wants to try to win. that's a respectable goal, and he's going to a contender not in his own divison or even conference. i think if things were different in terms of the pressure, there's a higher likelihood he stays and tries again. obviously we don't know mitch, and with a kid and everything now, who knows how much of what plays into his decision orr what his priorities are, but how can you even blame him after the shit that's gone on this entire last season and offseason. seriously. he didn't fuck this team over, they got something in return and that precious cap space people wanted. he agreed to waive his nmc IN SEASON to vegas, but it never worked out. what do you legitimately want at that point.
just blows my mind how people want to paint him. oh you wanted him to sign a team friendly deal to stay in toronto after yet another playoff loss where the coverage is entirely abt him and how he has to go. like it's not been a pressure cooker environment ENOUGH? and now he has a young family, lol. yeah, sure.
