Not just contenders. 13 teams have 0 cap space, and 5 others don't have enough to add a league minimum player. The Leafs could be more like Chicago that has 4 million in cap, but I don't think trying to emulate a team that won't remotely be competitive this year is what they should be doing.
I don't really know why anyone would have a problem with the Leafs spending to the cap to maybe avoid a situation where they have to ice a suboptimal lineup. The alternative is to spend less money and ice a suboptimal lineup every night for the whole season
Not all those teams with 0 cap space are in the same boat. Look at the Caps they have 0 cap space too... but they have 23 player on active roster- not 20. They have two guys on Injured reserve (Wilson and Haglin) who are counting against the cap because they are not on LTIR - just IR. So when Wilson gets healthy they don't need to make cap space for him- just free up a roster spot on 23 man roster by sending down someone waiver exempt like Protas or McMichael. Someone else gets hurt they have 3 extra bodies on the roster, 4 more get injured, but not LTIR eligible they are okay they still have 1.8M unused in their LTIR pool and could call up 2 more from AHL.
Leaf's get one guy who can't go they have to play a man down for one game. Liljegren gets healthy they have to trade or waive somebody making at least 1.4M to activate him.
The list of teams in the same boat as the leaf's with a 20 man roster, no cap space and no one they can send down to activate someone on LTIR is much shorter.
Tampa is close at 20 guys currently but they have no one who needs to come of LTIR (Cirelli and Bogosian already count against the cap so no issue when he is healthy)
Philly also has a 20 man roster but their injured guys (couturier and Ellis) are not on LTIR and don't need to make space for them to come back.
The only team in the same boat as the Leaf's is Florida, no cap space, 20 man roster and a player on LTIR who will come back in season with no Cap space for him in Duclair.