Maple Leafs Rumors

Jake McCabe Leaves Game With Lower-Body Injury

October 27, 2023 at 9:30 am CDT | by Gabriel Foley 1 Comment

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe left the team’s Thursday night matchup against the Dallas Stars after only one shift, reportedly “pulling” something in his lower body. McCabe only recorded 10 seconds of ice time in the game. His availability for the Leafs’ Saturday match against the Nashville Predators is uncertain.

McCabe has become a prominent member of the Toronto blue line, after joining the team via trade in February of last season. In return for the defender and Sam Lafferty, who now plays for the Vancouver Canucks, the Leafs sent the Chicago Blackhawks a protected 2025 First Round pick, 2026 Second Round pick, Joey Andreson, and Pavel Gogolev.

McCabe has quickly earned a top-four role in Toronto, consistently averaging 19-and-a-half minutes of playing time between his 21 games with the club last season and his six through the early going this year – excluding Thursday night’s early exit. In 27 career games with the club, McCabe has recorded five points, a +12, and a 50.98 CF% (Corsi-For Percentage); the lattermost mark ranking fifth among Leafs defenders with 10 or more games since last season.

It’s unclear how the Leafs, who are already down Conor Timmins, will respond to another blue-line injury. The club is currently only carrying one healthy scratch: rookie forward Fraser Minten, meaning any fill-in for McCabe will likely come on an emergency recall basis. There are certainly plenty of names to choose from with the Toronto Marlies, including Mikko Kokkonen, Topi Niemela, and Simon Benoit. The obvious hope is that McCabe’s lower-body injury doesn’t hold him out long-term. But if he is set to miss time, who the Leafs choose to replace him will be something to monitor.

Dunc Wilson Passes Away

October 24, 2023 at 7:44 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

Inaugural Vancouver Canucks starting netminder Dunc Wilson has passed away at age 75, the NHL Alumni Association announced yesterday evening.

Born in Toronto, Wilson made his NHL debut in the 1969-70 campaign, stopping 23 of 26 shots in a lone appearance for the Flyers. The 22-year-old would then be a Canucks expansion draft selection when they entered the league in 1970, splitting crease duties evenly with 37-year-old Charlie Hodge in the franchise’s first season. He took over as the full-time starter for Vancouver in 1971-72, recording the first shutout in franchise history and playing in a career-high 53 games. He remained in Vancouver through 1973, after which he served in backup roles for the Maple Leafs and Rangers through much of the mid-1970s. Just prior to the 1976-77 season, Wilson was traded from New York to the Penguins, where he would post a career-high 18 wins, .906 SV%, 2.95 GAA, and five shutouts, placing him fourth in All-Star team voting among netminders.

Wilson was transferred back to the Canucks early in the 1978-79 campaign, which would be his last playing pro hockey. It was a premature end, in part due to an extensive surgery required to treat skin cancer. Wilson sued the Canucks soon after his retirement, alleging improper treatment of the original mole that caused the cancer, but was unsuccessful.

Like many goalies, Wilson had quite the personality – often described as “rebellious,” he didn’t let his 5-foot-11 frame stop him from appearing in nearly 300 NHL contests, even if smaller goalies were the norm in his playing days. PHR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Bertuzzi Still Not Fully Healthy But Will Play Tonight

October 21, 2023 at 3:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

After being a game-time decision on Thursday, Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi will suit up tonight in Tampa Bay, mentions TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). Head coach Sheldon Keefe recently mentioned that Bertuzzi isn’t fully healthy which left his status for today’s game in question. The 28-year-old is off to a quiet start with his new club, recording just one point (a goal) through his first four games.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Pontus Holmberg, Loan Simon Benoit To AHL

October 20, 2023 at 11:00 am CDT | by Ethan Hetu 1 Comment

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that center Pontus Holmberg has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. In a corresponding move, defenseman Simon Benoit was sent to the Marlies.

The recall of Holmberg could have been motivated by a few factors. First and foremost, with Tyler Bertuzzi playing through an injury, it’s possible the Maple Leafs may want to give him a some time away from the ice to focus more on recovery. In that case, Toronto would need a forward to replace Bertuzzi in their lineup, which would be Holmberg. The Maple Leafs only have the cap space to carry one spare player, so with a need up front rather than on defense it’s easy to see why Benoit would be sent to the AHL in favor of Holmberg.

There’s another factor that may have motivated this recall, and it relates to rookie forward Fraser Minten. If the Maple Leafs are okay continuing with Bertuzzi in their lineup and playing through injury, this recall may instead have been made to allow for Minten to be re-assigned back to the WHL and the Kamloops Blazers.

While Minten had an undoubtedly stellar training camp and preseason, it was always unlikely that the 19-year-old rookie would remain the third-line center for a full season on a team with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations.

Minten scored 31 goals and 67 points in 57 WHL games last season, and this year he would likely become the centerpiece player on a Blazers team currently struggling due to the graduations of key players. Minten would also stand a strong chance of playing an important role for Team Canada at this year’s IIHF Men’s World Junior Championships.

The Maple Leafs could very well view this WHL-plus-WJC development path as more optimal for Minten’s future than playing 11-12 minutes per night in their NHL lineup, and as a result, this recall of Holmberg could allow them to re-assign Minten to take up that path.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Matthews Always Had Desire To Stay In Toronto

October 15, 2023 at 11:30 am CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

In a rather lengthy interview with Mike Zeisberger of the NHL, franchise icon for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews, expresses his unwavering desire to stay in Toronto and is more than excited an extension was completed between the two sides. More than a year before he was originally set to become an unrestricted free agent, rumors were rampant suggesting Matthews may leave the Maple Leafs to sign with his hometown Arizona Coyotes or find an organization with less media pressure.

As many are well aware at this point, Matthews would sign a four-year, $53MM contract with the Maple Leafs, making him the highest-paid player in the NHL as soon as it starts. Although there was very little doubt that Toronto would regret re-investing in Matthews, he rewarded them early this season, scoring back-to-back hat tricks in the team’s first two games.

[SOURCE LINK]

Simon Benoit Recalled From AHL

October 14, 2023 at 9:37 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski Leave a Comment

Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jordie Benn has signed a one-year contract to play for Brynäs IF in the second-tier Swedish league HockeyAllsvenskan. Brynäs IF had been in the top tier SHL for 63 years until they were relegated at the end of last season. The 36-year-old elder brother of Jamie Benn had been on a PTO with the Dallas Stars but was cut earlier this week.

The veteran of 607 NHL games spent last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs but dressed in just 12 NHL games registering a goal and an assist. Benn spent much of last year in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies where he posted two goals and four assists in 23 games while providing a veteran presence to the Marlies’ younger players. Benn was apparently close to signing with Brynäs IF earlier this summer but elected to take the Stars PTO to see if he could hang on to an NHL roster spot. Given Benn’s age and current skillset, it could be very likely that he has played his last game in the NHL.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Simon Benoit for the second time this week. This comes on the heels of the club loaning Benoit to the AHL Toronto Marlies just two days ago. The moves are of little financial consequence to Benoit as he is on a one-way contract and is paid $775K regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or AHL. Benoit is certainly capable of playing in the NHL having dressed in 78 games last season with the Anaheim Ducks where he posted three goals and seven assists. However, given the Maple Leafs precarious salary cap situation he could find himself shuffled back and forth between the NHL and AHL throughout the season as the team tries to maximize salary cap space.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Toronto Maple Leafs

October 12, 2023 at 7:07 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Current Cap Hit: $93,989,461 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Matthew Knies (two years, $925K)
F Fraser Minten (three years, $845K)

Knies made an immediate impression late last season, eventually playing his way into Toronto’s playoff lineup. He should be counted on to play a regular role this year but if he spends a lot of time on the third line as he’s starting on, it’ll be hard to make a case for an early extension. If he progresses as planned, a bridge deal could push around the $2.5MM mark. Minten somewhat surprisingly made the team after a strong training camp. It’s possible his stint is a short-term one so it’s a bit premature to forecast what his next deal might cost. Neither deal has performance bonuses (no player in the organization has any) so they’re not as risk of carryover charges on that front.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Tyler Bertuzzi ($5.5MM, UFA)
D T.J. Brodie ($5MM, UFA)
F Max Domi ($3MM, UFA)
D Mark Giordano ($800K, UFA)
F Noah Gregor ($775K, RFA)
D John Klingberg ($4.15MM, UFA)
D Timothy Liljegren ($1.4MM, RFA)
G Matt Murray ($4.6875MM, UFA)*
D Jake Muzzin ($5.625MM, UFA)
F William Nylander ($6.962MM, UFA)
G Ilya Samsonov ($3.55MM, UFA)

*-Ottawa is retaining another $1.5625MM on Murray’s deal.

Nylander is shaping up to be one of the more interesting pending unrestricted free agents. He has certainly outproduced his contract, becoming a legitimate top-line threat. Now, the team has dabbled with him playing down the middle (which could resume if/when Minten is returned to junior) and even killing penalties. If he does well in those situations, his value will only go up. It’s believed his asking price is at least $10MM on a max-term agreement, a price tag Toronto isn’t willing to pay at the moment. Negotiations were hard-fought last time around with a deal coming down to mere minutes before the deadline that would have made him ineligible. It won’t come quite to that point next summer though as he’ll have enough suitors to get a deal done quickly if he makes it to the open market.

Bertuzzi’s market didn’t materialize to his liking this past summer. Seeking a long-term deal and bigger money, he landed neither of those, quickly pivoting instead to a pillow contract. He’s a good fit inside their top six and if things go as planned (while staying healthy), he should line himself up for at least a small raise and a multi-year deal next summer. The same can’t be said for Domi, a player who has bounced around the last few years. His two UFA contracts have been at this price point and unless he drastically improves (or regresses), it’s reasonable to think the next one should check in close to this as well. Gregor was able to convert a PTO into a full deal after being non-tendered by San Jose. Arbitration eligibility could work against him next summer as this is a roster spot the Maple Leafs will need to keep at the league minimum while he could make a case for a bit more than that if he holds down a spot on the fourth line.

Brodie is capable of logging big minutes but, in recent years, his offensive production hasn’t been the most consistent. If he’s putting up 30 points as he was in Calgary, this price tag is one he can justify. When that’s not the case, it becomes an above-market deal and considering he’ll be 34 next summer, he might be hard-pressed to command this much at that time. Klingberg, for the second year in a row, had to settle for a pillow deal with the hopes of bolstering his market for the following summer. On a more offensive-minded squad, he might have a better chance of succeeding this time around. A big raise might not be likely but a multi-year agreement might be in reach.

Liljegren has been eased into the league with last season being his heaviest workload even though it was still in a limited role. On a thinner back end depth-wise, that should change as in-season injuries come into play. If he does well, he should be in a position to push for $1MM more than his $1.5MM qualifying offer. But if he remains in a depth role, Toronto will be trying to keep his price closer to where it is now. Giordano left a lot of money on the table to stay with his hometown team. Yes, he’s now the oldest player in the league but he can provide a lot of surplus value on this agreement. If he plays another season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it around this price tag as he aims for one last push for a Stanley Cup.

Muzzin and Murray are both done for the season already and have been placed on LTIR. Muzzin, who was recently named as a scout for the Maple Leafs, is likely done for his career while Murray’s situation isn’t quite as certain. The two sides opted to wait several months for surgery, allowing him to stay on LTIR for the whole season but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him try to catch on somewhere. However, with his injury history, it’ll be on a contract that’s close to the minimum.

Samsonov wound up going to a hearing to get this contract, one that felt a bit lower than some expected. However, he still doesn’t have the track record of being a successful long-term starter. One more good, healthy year with Toronto might get him there and if that’s the case, he could push toward the $5MM or more range on a multi-year agreement next summer.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Mitch Marner ($10.903MM, UFA)
D Jake McCabe ($2MM, UFA)*
F John Tavares ($11MM, UFA)
D Conor Timmins ($1.1MM, RFA)
G Joseph Woll ($767K, RFA)

*-Chicago is retaining another $2MM on McCabe’s contract.

Tavares has had a good run with Toronto, averaging nearly a point per game since signing with them in 2018. Of course, at that price tag, they were expecting a bit more production from him while the stagnation in the salary cap has made this contract sting more as well. He’ll be 35 when his next contract starts and it’s fair to say he’ll be heading for a fairly significant dip in pay. The same can’t be said for Marner who will still be in his prime (28) when this deal is up. Assuming his next two seasons are similar to the last two, he’ll be in a position to take aim at the priciest deal for a winger in NHL history; he’s about $740K below that now.

McCabe fared a bit better in Chicago compared to his time with Buffalo, resulting in the Maple Leafs parting with a first-round pick to get him near the trade deadline. He won’t light up the scoresheet but can play in the top four and log some tough minutes. Those players aren’t getting huge deals on the open market now but McCabe should be able to land a small raise (on his full deal, not just Toronto’s portion) and another multi-year agreement. Timmins has shown some flashes of offensive upside in his limited NHL action but first, he’ll need to establish himself as a third-pairing regular before his value will start to go up. If he can eventually work his way onto the second power play pairing, he’ll have a chance to double his current AAV in a couple of years. Otherwise, his arbitration eligibility could work against him.

This is Woll’s first season as a full-fledged NHL backup which means he doesn’t have much of a track record to build on yet. If he has success in the number two role over the next couple of years, an AAV in the $2MM range is achievable. If he forces his way into more playing time though, then he could push his way toward Samsonov’s deal.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($1.35MM, UFA)

Jarnkrok opted for a longer-term deal than many expected last summer, a deal that worked out pretty well for Toronto in year one as he put up 20 goals for the first time in his career. History suggests he might not get back to that point but even if he drops a few from that total, they’ll still get good value here. Reaves also signed for longer than many expected as 36-year-old fourth liners typically don’t command three years. However, while enforcers aren’t as plentiful as they were before, there’s a reason that Reaves always seems to be coveted by teams. Speculatively, it’s hard to see him getting another contract in three years but stranger things have happened.

Signed Through 2026-27 Or Longer

F David Kampf ($2.4MM through 2026-27)
F Auston Matthews ($11.64MM in 2023-24, $13.25MM from 2024-25 through 2027-28)
D Morgan Rielly ($7.5MM through 2029-30)

For the last couple of years, it was considered a matter of when, not if, Matthews would set the new benchmark for the most expensive AAV in NHL history. That indeed came to fruition last month as he beat Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6MM cap charge when he signed his extension. The question with his contract would be if he signed a long-term deal or another medium-term one and clearly, it was the latter. That will position Matthews quite nicely for one more significant contract as he’ll have turned 31 when the 2028-29 campaign gets underway, making a max-term agreement an option at that time if he wants it. By then, it’s likely that his price tag won’t be the new benchmark but if he continues to be a top scorer in the league, he could break the record once again.

Free agency hasn’t been kind to checking forwards but Toronto clearly valued what Kampf provided for them as they handed out this four-year agreement in advance of the open market. He did fare a bit better offensively with the Maple Leafs compared to his time with Chicago which gave him a bit more leverage in discussions. If he stays around the 25-point mark while providing his defensive reliability, they’ll be happy with this deal.

Rielly isn’t a true number one defender but the good news for Toronto here is that this contract doesn’t pay him like one. If he keeps putting up 40 points and playing more than 20 minutes a night, this should be a fair-market deal at least. He might slow down a bit by the end of the deal but that’s a concern for another day as far as the Maple Leafs are concerned.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: Nylander
Worst Value: Tavares

Looking Ahead

Even with more than $10MM on LTIR, cap space is still at a premium for Toronto and with Muzzin and Murray out for the year, the spot they’re in now is where they’re going to be throughout. That means a minimum-sized roster or close to it will be the norm.

Looking to next season, they have over $54MM in commitments already and an extension for Nylander, if one comes, will take up a big chunk of that space. Re-signing or replacing Samsonov, Bertuzzi, Klingberg, and Domi will take care of the bulk of the rest of it.

That said, GM Brad Treliving has somewhat of a clean long-term slate in front of him with only three long-term commitments on the books. That gives him a chance to reshape the core if he wants to but with all the pending UFAs plus Marner and Tavares a year later, the potential flexibility isn’t likely to last.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Maple Leafs Recall Simon Benoit

October 11, 2023 at 1:56 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

10/12 – The Leafs have loaned Benoit back to the Toronto Marlies.

10/11 – The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Simon Benoit from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, according to a team release Wednesday. In a corresponding transaction, they returned forward Bobby McMann to the Marlies after he cleared waivers earlier today.

Benoit will serve as the lone extra skater on the active roster and is not expected to play in tonight’s season-opening contest against the Montreal Canadiens. He can stay on the NHL roster for up to 30 days (or 10 games played) before he requires waivers to be returned to the minors.

The Maple Leafs signed Benoit, 25, to a one-year, league-minimum contract in August. The Laval, Québec, native played in a career-high 78 games last season for the Anaheim Ducks, notching ten points and a -29 rating whilst facing some tough minutes on a poor defensive squad.

Benoit is one of a trio of veteran blueliners signed to league-minimum deals Toronto has stashed in the minors, along with William Lagesson and Maxime Lajoie. Earlier in the preseason, few expected Benoit to be on the active roster for tonight’s game, given the team’s cap constraints, but defenseman Conor Timmins sustained a lower-body injury that has him on long-term injured reserve to start the campaign. He is out week-to-week, and while Benoit will likely remain up with the Leafs for a while, expect him to hit waivers again if needed upon Timmins’ return. Benoit was also sidelined with an injury of his own at one point, dealing with back spasms at the beginning of the preseason schedule.

Waivers: 10/10/23

October 11, 2023 at 1:03 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

Oct. 11, 1:03 p.m.: All three players have cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Oct. 10, 1:45 p.m.: Although not as busy as the past few days, there’s still some activity on the waiver wire today. The lone player on waivers yesterday, New York Islanders forward Ross Johnston, was claimed today by the Anaheim Ducks.

Los Angeles Kings

G David Rittich

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Alex Barré-Boulet

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Bobby McMann

The most notable name here is Rittich, a 31-year-old Czech netminder who has 172 games of NHL experience. Though the number of clubs rostering three goalies to start the season might point to a heightened risk of goaltenders getting claimed off of waivers, the fact that Martin Jones, who played in 48 games last season, cleared waivers does bode well for the Kings’ likelihood of passing Rittich through.

Rittich is playing on a one-year, $875k contract and is set to be the Kings’ third goalie behind Pheonix Copley and Cam Talbot. Last season, Rittich was Connor Hellebuyck’s backup and went 9-8-1 with a .901 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average.

Gone are the days when Rittich was a borderline starter-level netminder as he was with the Calgary Flames, and although public expected goals models were down on his work last season, there could be NHL teams in need of goalies who believe he still has something to offer at the game’s highest level.

Barré-Boulet, 26, is an undersized, undrafted former QMJHL star who has become a top player in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch. He made the AHL’s First All-Star team last season after scoring 84 points last season, by far a team lead, but so far hasn’t been able to translate that success to the NHL level.

The final player on the waiver wire today is McMann, an undrafted forward from the Maple Leafs. The Colgate University product worked his way up from the ECHL to the NHL and was impressive at the AHL level last season, scoring 21 goals in just 30 games.

The energetic winger isn’t exactly the prototypical player that gets claimed off of waivers but perhaps there is a team is intrigued enough by his minor-league goal-scoring and endearing style to put in a claim.

Latest On William Nylander Extension Talks

October 10, 2023 at 8:23 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 3 Comments

Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News is reporting that San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture will miss the team’s home opener on October 12th against the Vegas Golden Knights. Couture remains week-to-week currently but has started some light skating over the last few days. Couture suffered a lower-body injury prior to the start of training camp and failed his physical which has kept him out of pre-season action. This will be the first time Couture starts a season on the IR.

The Sharks are likely to use Tomas Hertl in Couture’s usual spot centering their first line. While Hertl can play on the team’s top unit, it does create a domino effect on an already thin forward group. Mikael Granlund appears likely to center the team’s second unit which could be problematic given how much he struggled last season.

The Sharks appear poised to finish the season near the bottom of the standings and seem prepared to take their time with Couture’s injury. Couture is only halfway through his eight-year contract and could become a tradeable asset for the Sharks if he is able to get healthy and contribute this season.

In other evening notes:

Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tyler Motte left the game in the second period of their 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators. The 28-year-old took a puck in the hand with just under six minutes left in the middle frame and did not return to the game. Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper told reporters that the team will know more about Motte’s condition at some point tomorrow. Motte signed a one-year deal in the offseason after setting a career-high with 19 points last season in 62 games.
Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN Insider Trading that the Toronto Maple Leafs and pending unrestricted free agent forward William Nylander are continuing contract extension discussions into the season with both sides remaining tight-lipped on the proceedings. LeBrun added that Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving had a face-to-face discussion with Nylander at training camp as the sides try and work towards a resolution. LeBrun finishes by saying that it appears from the outside that all parties are on the same page as far as getting the deal done.

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