Salary Cap: ExpendaNikita Zaitsev (UFA 2024) - $4.50Mble Players

[thewave]

I dont think anyone is talking about moving Kadri while he's under his current contract but I would hope in the next 3 or 4 years we could develop at least 1 good 3c. that we could move on from Kadri at the end of his current deal instead of re-upping him for 6-7 million depending on how much the cap goes up.

And why would we not consider moving Kadri? If it's for a top end D you have to move Kadri. Nylander is a C in my eyes and if it's in theirs as well Kadri should be moved to get us a name for the back end.

 

[White Shadow]

Right now, the cap situation is under control. In the next two or three years, Maple Leafs management will have to make decisions on certain depth players that will be up for significant raises.

It looks like they'll look to spend big money on the core and secondary players will be replaced internally through developed young players or European/NCAA free agents.

The core consists of:

Auston Matthews
John Tavares
Mitch Marner
William Nylander
Morgan Rielly
Frederik Andersen

The secondary players are:

Jake Gardiner (UFA 2019) - $4.05M
Connor Brown (RFA 2020) - $2.10M
Zach Hyman (UFA 2021) - $2.25M

*Nazem Kadri (UFA 2022) - $4.50M
*Nikita Zaitsev (UFA 2024) - $4.50M

Two younger players that will be coming off their entry level contracts are Kasperi Kapanen and Travis Dermott. Their second contracts should be manageable and not an issue until at least the summer of 2021. Both should get between $1.5M to $3M, on their second contracts, depending on their play over the next season or two.

Nazem Kadri is under control at $4.5M for another four seasons. Which is great value for the player but is paying $4.5M for your 3rd line centre a good financial decision? Some fans consider Kadri as a core player but given the Matthews + Tavares combo on the top two lines, does it eventually make Kadri an expendable player, when he has a year or two left on that team friendly contract?

That Nikita Zaitsev contract term is not ideal but his actual cap hit is good value for what he is as a player. He turns 27 years old in October and will be 32 years old when that contract expires. There are comparable players that make significantly more than $4.5M and are signed past the age of 31 or 32. I think as the cap goes up and that term goes down, Zaitsev will be on a team friendly contract and he becomes a moveable asset, barring any unforseen injuries or regression.

Matt Niskanen - $5.75M until age 34
Marc Staal - $5.7M until age 34
Jeff Petry - $5.5M until age 34
Andrej Sekera - $5.5M until age 35
Nick Leddy - $5.5M until age 31
Alex Goligoski - $5.475M until age 36
Dmitry Orlov - $5.1M until age 32
Danny DeKeyser - $5M until age 32
Karl Alzner - $4.625M until age 34

I think at this point, Jake Gardiner, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman are the next three contracts that will have to be addressed between now and 2021. Brown and Hyman are Babcock favourites but I don't think giving them $4M+ each is a good idea.

Who do you view as expendable players, in two or three years, if the salary cap situation gets tight?

Move Jake keep the Russian

 

[MattySnipes]

Personally, I think Bracco won't amount to much of anything just like Leivo. Both are skill guys who are skilled and neither really bring another element that makes them tough to play against like being good PKers, forecheckers, tenacious, great speed, etc.

Look at Kapanen, Brown, Hyman, Johnsson or even the recently departed Komarov. They all bring elements that make them hard to play against.

Good point. Leafs management realized that Kappy has a lot of tools but for him to make it up to the big club he would have to add another element to his game, and that's when they started developing him in a PK role. He came here and he was magnificent on the PK. I see something similar for Bracco and others. Not saying he will play PK but they will identify a role for him. He's still a few years away though, let him continue baking. I think Bracco will have a great year with the Marlies this year. So excited to see how he does. He oozes skill.

Nice write-up @Scott Malkinson

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

I think folks are looking at the Leaf roster and future cap as problem. I don't.
If the Leafs have "too many" good players deserving big raises in the future such Grundstrom, Dermot, Liljegen, Kapanen....so be it. Then a big $$$ player like Nylander might have to traded.
But if Nylander and others are playing up to the contracts it's not problem, because you get fair value in return in a trade.
Real cap problems arise when too many players not playing up to their contracts or having retained money or buyout money on your roster. If the Leafs (or any team) just have good value throughout their lineup, then you should be a contender.
Leafs and their fans lived through the "Dark Ages" of Ferguson/Burke/Nonis who did not how/who to draft, their poor value UFA signings and getting the short end of almost all trades.
Now getting back to the original post...If Zaitsev is not a competent NHLer,,,,that is a cap and hockey issue for the Leafs. IMO he'll be fine

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

Bracco is still a BIG maybe to play at all, that's just reality.

He'd be lucky to be considered a maybe, tbh.

 

[sxvnert]

Core:

Tavares/Marner
Matthews/Nylander
Kadri

Rielly (---#2---)
(---#3---)

Andersen

Everything around that group will be swapped based on salary demands and team strategy.