this same management group did kick tires on Stamkos, in fact they did more than just kick tires. The Leafs offer to Stamkos was substantial, but he felt like there was unfinished business in Tampa and so he signed back.
suffice it to say the Leafs will "kick tires" on Tavares as well.
Leafs have just over $16.5M coming off the books in terms of salary this offseason in Polak (1.1M), Moore (1M), Komarov (2.95M), Plekanec (3M), Bozak (4.2M), and JVR (4.25M).
All of these players will be gone and replaced by Marlies or UFA's.
In the following offseason Leafs will lose another 2 contracts in Gardiner and Hainsey. I see Gardiner getting moved and Hainsey maybe brought back on a cheap Roman Polak like deal if at all. So that is another $7.05M coming off the books.
Leafs can afford any ONE of Tavares, Doughty, Karlsson, etc if they wish to add.
I see the Leafs going to a model of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Kadri, Reilly as their main guys and trying to add another STAR player with the rest of the roster being filled out by Marlies graduates.
The trump card the Leafs for 2 more season beyond this season is the contract of NATHAN HORTON! thats an additional $5.3M in cap space should they need it!
face it, the Leafs can talk to any UFA and can afford ANY UFA. What the actual plan is going forward we will see come July 1. but interesting times are ahead for this team as they get better and better.