Although the Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of obstacles still to deal with this offseason still, including working out a contract with restricted free agent Mitch Marner, the team may have even more problems approaching them a year from now.
While the Maple Leafs forwards should be in good shape next season as the team will have few to no free agents to worry about, the newly reconstructed defense will be an entirely different story as only one of their defenseman, Morgan Rielly, is signed beyond the 2019-20 season. The team has five unrestricted free agents blueliners and another two restricted free agents defenders, which could create quite a bit of unrest next summer.
However, to make matters worse, the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons writes that newly acquired Tyson Barrie is expecting to cash in on his next contract next summer and could be looking to demand an eight-year deal at $8MM per season next year. The 27-year-old has been incredibly consistent over the last few years, putting up 14 goals and a career-high 59 points last season and has averaged 49 points over the past six seasons. He is finishing up a four-year, $22MM contract at $5.5MM, but because Colorado retained half his salary, the team is only on the hook for a $2.75MM AAV this season. However, an $8MM contract could force the Maple Leafs to allow the blueliner to walk away for nothing.
The team will likely have to make some tough decisions as Jake Muzzin and Cody Ceci will also be unrestricted free agents. Much of those decisions will likely depend on how well they play next season and how their salaries can fit into their tight salary cap situation. The team has a few other lesser free agents, including Justin Holl and Martin Marincin, but they also may have to give significant raises to restricted free agents Travis Dermott and Ben Harpur. The team will get a small break next season when the contract of Nathan Horton and his $5.3MM finally expires, which should help, but that isn’t likely to solve all those problems either. There will be little money available to help the team out without more cost-cutting moves.
Maybe the leafs are pioneers…each line will actually be 4 forwards and 1 defenseman.
the leafs project to have over around 20 mil available next offseason taking into account marner’s 10-12 mil contract so they have more than enough money available to sign barrie if they want to. whether or not they want to pay 8 mil per season is a different issue but they won’t be forced to let him walk due to cap constraints.
sorry not 20 mil, forgot about kerfoot’s extension. they’ll have between 16-17 if marner lands at 10-11 mil.
They’ll also only have 14 players in this scenario, with ~$5,000,000 to pay 7 players.. the window might’ve already closed
This is not that complicated: The Leafs bridge Dermott for $2M-$3M, retain Holl for somewhere under $1M, bring up Liljegren and Sandin for around $900K each, let Ceci and Harpur walk as UFAs, and then decide whether to extend Barrie and/or Muzzin based on performance and who fits best going forward.
Even if Marner’s contact is an absurd $11M, that still leaves Toronto with about $15M in cap space for next season. The moves I list above get the Leafs to 5 defensemen signed only using around $6M of that cap space.
Heck, if Barrie is looking for $8M right now, I’d be tempted to see if he’d sign an extension for $7M for 6 or 7 years, like, the day after Marner signs.
If Marner comes in at a more reasonable $9M, then there is a chance at extending both Muzzin and Barrie.
You would still need more space to fill out the roster and then (ideally) have some extra space to deal with injuries and/or make mid season acquisitions if they are in playoff position. On top of that, Anderson is a UFA after the 2020-21 season so the Leafs would either need to lock him up soon or start looking for his replacement. Either way, the Leafs are going to be in a tight spot cap wise for the next few years. They’re really going to need to hit on the minimum salary/entry level players that they bring up.
@jt19 – If they only keep one of Barrie or Muzzin it would leave them with $2M to $7M in cap space, but yes, the Leafs will need to dance along the cap space limit for the next few years.
That said they’ve done a very good job of it so far and projecting into the future worrying about whether they can continue is pointless.
^ r u serious? A “very” good job?
Can’t wait until you realize they can’t defend a power play and while they might score 3.5 goals a game they are going to be allowing 3.5 goals a game.
Won’t win you a playoff round with D that can’t defend a top line or two.
14 goals/59 points is good, but hardly worth $8M/year…not when they signed Matthews for just over $8M/year and Marner should and will get double digits/yr. that’s said, he’s a defenseman and given he’s going to be 2nd fiddle to a much better Reilly, if the two produce equally and post career numbers, they’ll have to split the difference. I’d personally pay em both around $6.5-7M each if they both put up equal numbers. Otherwise, Barrie will be fine cause I don’t see Leafs giving up Reilly AT ALL! But they are definitely gonna need to figure something out with D and soon.
Almost wish they’d have a piss poor year like before the Matthews draft and pull the #1 D for next season…least for some young depth.
Leafs made the playoffs three years running. In two of those three seasons they lost to the team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals and they took the team to 7 games. Not all first round matchups are equal.
Every playoff team they faced in the East lost to Washington and Boston, so why is it somehow worse that the Leafs did too? Because they had the bad luck to face those teams in the first round? NHL playoffs are not like a video game where every level gets more difficult. The toughest matchup Boston faced getting to the finals was Toronto.
More Leafs/Dubas fear mongering and hand wringing that is just not necessary! Dubas just “Houdini-ed” himself out of the trickiest cap situation this July and it makes next July look like a cake walk in comparison. He has plenty of room for a reasonable (or even an overpaid) Marner contract this year, and will have 15-16M in cap space next July, with no anchor contracts, to renew or rebuild his defence core. He will sign Dermott at 3-4M, he will have two kids from the Marlies at 1.6M total, and if Barrie asks for 8M (and if he is worth it and/or Dubas wants to pay him that) he will still have 2M to grab another D-man. In this scenario Muzzin and Ceci walk, but so what? Cap Era reality. BUT… he could still move any of his forwards that are on reasonable and trade-able contracts (Kapanen, Johnson, Hyman, Kerfoot….) for picks/prospects and cap space AND keep Muzzin. If the Barrie contract/ask is too rich, then substitute Muzzin into the formula above for 6M, Barrie walks and you keep Ceci (if he has a turnaround season). Bottom line: Dubas has created a TON of flexibility for himself next July.
binary… Matthew’s just over 8 million? You just solved the problem with more than 3 million dollars in extra cap.space
Do yourselves a favour. As soon as you see the name Steve Simmons attached to anything; head straight to the horoscopes page, you’ll find 10 times more accuracy.
awesome comment
If Mitch Marner wants to be greedy and not take less money than maybe the best thing to do is take the four first-round draft and get this thing done Marner is starting to piss a lot of leaf fans off.
Just curious, why do you think he’s being greedy? Why should he be the only one of the four high paid players to take a discount?
Assuming you’re a Leaf fan, youd be the first I’ve heard of that is pissed at Marner.
lemon,
Are you kidding me? Dumbass shoulda traded little Willie , that set the bar for Matthews getting what he wanted as well as for the similar $ per year Tavares got in free agency. Marner is the best player on the Leafs night in and night out. Therefore he is worth every penny in my mind at least 12 a season oviously just my opinion. Mitch isn’t the problem its his dad running his mouth in the paper. Oviously the agent wants to get him top dollar.
If you really think any 1 of those 4 picks would ever be as talented as him you’ve gotta be off your rocker. He’s not pissing any Leaf fans off I know lots and all are on his side!
Poor laughs. They just don’t get it. Year after year after year. Sad. ….Mitch to NJ is my vote.
Sunny,
I hope not Pk acts like a goof!!!