News Article: Thinning the Leafs roster will be a challenge over the summer

[Budsfan]

Thinning the Leafs roster will be a challenge over the summer

Leafs butting up against 50 roster-spot limit heading into draft and free agency. And waivers will be a factor for players like Stuart Percy and Josh Leivo.

By Kevin McGranSports Reporter
Tues., May 24, 2016

https://www.thestar.com/sports/brea...ster-will-be-a-challenge-over-the-summer.html

The Maple Leafs have an interesting dilemma to work through this summer.

And for a team that will draft a ton of prospects this summer, the problem will only get stickier in time.

It's roster spots. Teams can have 50 players under NHL contracts playing professionally. (Players who have signed NHL deals but are in junior are exempt from the 50 roster spots.)

Last season, butting up against the max, the Leafs traded five prospects (mid-to-low-level) to the New York Islanders for Michael Grabner. It was a salary dump by the Islanders, who didn't want to play Grabner the $5 million he was owed. It opened up four roster spots for the Leafs.

But the draft hasn't even happened, and the Leafs are butting up against that 50 again.

They currently have 35 players under contract for 2016-17 -- including Mitch Marner, Nielsen, Travis Dermott, Dmytro Timashov, all of whom are eligible to return to junior next year -- so they have some wiggle room.

But Marner looks like he's done all he can in junior, so he's nearly a lock to start with the Leafs in October. Dermott, Timashov and Nielsen are all eligible to play for the Marlies next season.

And there are 10 restricted free agents they're going to have to make a call on, which gets you to 45. Throw in Auston Matthews, who's certain to be on the list, and you're at 46.

They've said they'll buy out Jared Cowen, so you're back at 45.

And there are nine unrestricted free agents, which brings them to 54.

WHAT TO DO?

read at link ...

WAIVER WIRE

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Five-for-one, anyone?

Click to read more...

 

[Budsfan]

It seems Like there will be a lot of shuffling of players this year and a lot of players traded or just released.

 

[Bullseye]

Datsuyk deal? Contracts for Salary?

 

[buttman*]

It seems Like there will be a lot of shuffling of players this year and a lot of players traded or just released.

Solved his own problem:

"They've said they'll buy out Jared Cowen, so you're back at 45.

And there are nine unrestricted free agents, which brings them to 54.

WHAT TO DO?

It will be easy to toss over some UFAs from among Grabner, P.A. Parenteau, Brad Boyes, T.J. Brennan, Ben Smith, Mark Arcobello, Rich Clune, Alex Stalock and Raffi Torres."

None of the above will be signed which brings you back to 45 contracts. 45 is an easily managed number. If the two D go back to junior then you have 43. Lots of room.

 

[JonnyMacAwesome]

Datsuyk deal? Contracts for Salary?

I'd do it but they'd need to throw in a decent draft pick too(like their 2nd rounder) so we get something tangible back.

But that's just my take.

 

[DopeyFish]

we're at 48

boyes, PAP, Grabner, Torres, Stalock, Smith, Arcobello, Clune, Leivo, Percy, Brennan, Holland, S. Carrick are players unlikely to return.

So once July 1st hits, we'll be at 37 contracts (if you count Marner, plus Zaitsev becoming active)

 

[seanlinden]

Datsuyk deal? Contracts for Salary?

In a worst case scenario... the Leafs could quite easily simply not qualify Sam Carrick, Colin Smith, or Scott Harrington.

 

[Budsfan]

Datsuyk deal? Contracts for Salary?

That may be a solution but We have a lot of contracts to get rid of Lupul, Michalek, Robidas, Cowan and players will likely be released are Boyes, Grabner and Froese, it's interesting who will be kept and who will be gone.

 

[Finnish your Czech]

In a worst case scenario... the Leafs could quite easily simply not qualify Sam Carrick, Colin Smith, or Scott Harrington.

They can still qualify them, just not re-sign them.

 

[timlap]

I see no real point in resigning any of those UFAs. Problem solved. Isn't it?

 

[timlap]

They can still qualify them, just not re-sign them.

Not sure what would be the point of doing that- hoping to trade them, I guess? But remember they can always accept the qualifying offer.

 

[Finnish your Czech]

Not sure what would be the point of doing that- hoping to trade them, I guess? But remember they can always accept the qualifying offer.

That's true. Most probably accept the offer, maybe not Holland, though.

 

[chatty4756]

Lets say the leafs do another 4 or 5 contracts for 1 deal again. Which ones are dealt?

 

[TheGroceryStick]

Lets say the leafs do another 4 or 5 contracts for 1 deal again. Which ones are dealt?

Greening
Holland
Percy
Leivo

for

Datsyuk (Dump)
Sproul
Tor(3rd - Babcock)

 

[MJ65]

I don't if this really is an issue, the UFA we have are technically not under contract come July 1st and I am sure except for PAP, then we have some RFA which they might let them walk or put on waivers (players like Sam Carrick, Percy and so on) and potential of a buying out Cowen?

 

[ShaneFalco]

Marincin, Corrado and Connor Carrick would be deemed locks for new deals.

I wouldn't say Corrado is

And I wouldn't bring back PA regardless of what happens with Stamkos

Wouldn't be surprised to see Holland traded (in a package-type deal)

 

[janesy12]

He answered most of his own questions.
Cowen buyout, Nielson, Dermott, Timashov back to Junior.
Probably none of the UFA's will be back. Unless maybe Brennan, Clune, Arcobello, Smith are signed for the Marlies.

Guys like Sam Carrick, Colin Smith could be sent through Waivers without being claimed imo.

Then you could see some guys moved for picks instead of losing them on waivers. (Harrington, Percy, Holland) Similar to the Colborne deal.

None of those guys are looking to be big time NHL contributors IMO, maybe Leivo if he puts in the work this summer.

 

[93LEAFS]

Greening
Holland
Percy
Leivo

for

Datsyuk (Dump)
Sproul
Tor(3rd - Babcock)

All those are RFA's we can just not offer if we want, outside of Greening.

 

[93LEAFS]

He answered most of his own questions.
Cowen buyout, Nielson, Dermott, Timashov back to Junior.
Probably none of the UFA's will be back. Unless maybe Brennan, Clune, Arcobello, Smith are signed for the Marlies.

Guys like Sam Carrick, Colin Smith could be sent through Waivers without being claimed imo.

Then you could see some guys moved for picks instead of losing them on waivers. (Harrington, Percy, Holland) Similar to the Colborne deal.

None of those guys are looking to be big time NHL contributors IMO, maybe Leivo if he puts in the work this summer.

These guys don't need an overage year. We dump garbage elsewhere. Just don't qualify guys like Holland or Percy.

 

[TheGroceryStick]

All those are RFA's we can just not offer if we want, outside of Greening.

That is true too.
I think we are sitting pretty, in terms of contracts and deciding where to dole them out.

We have some guys coming up that have the potential to replace guys that may be on the outs.

So:

Bozak (@3)
Froese
Loov
Leipsic
3rd(NJ)


for

Bickell
Shaw
1st(2017)
4th(CLB)

 

[Mess]

That may be a solution but We have a lot of contracts to get rid of Lupul, Michalek, Robidas, Cowan and players will likely be released are Boyes, Grabner and Froese, it's interesting who will be kept and who will be gone.

The biggest problems are not the pending UFAs as those are easy solutions.

The problem is with the vets still under contract Lupul, Laich, Greening, Michalek, Froese, Robidas, Horton etc that all occupy roster spots among those 50 contracts and have little to no trade value and so removing them difficult.

 

[Mess]

Not sure what would be the point of doing that- hoping to trade them, I guess? But remember they can always accept the qualifying offer.

Agreed.

Once qualified they count in your 50 contracts signed or not at that point, so I would think trading them before you qualify them if you don't plan on re-signing them is the better plan.

If you plan on walking away from Percy, Leivo, Holland etc then try and find a trade and perhaps a prospect + pick moves you up in the draft. ie Percy + 3rd round = 2nd rounder.

Or you take your RFA prospects with waiver wire issues, and try and deal them prospect for prospect from another organization you see with more potential, waiver exempt and more worthy of using a contract spot on.

 

[Canada4Gold]

We don't need many if any UFA's this offseason. I don't see a problem. None of the draft picks this year outside of Matthews are going to count. Even if we resigned every RFA we're not over.

Even if Stamkos and Vesey happens let a couple of the RFA's go and there's easily room.

This would be a problem if we needed to find 8 UFA's on the market to fill out our NHL roster, but we don't so it's not a big issue.

 

[Falon]

The only players on the maybe list who have shown real potential is Leivo and Holland. I'm sure the Leafs will qualify them and offer him a 1 year deal. Regardless, they'll make the Leafs as 4th line or 13th/14th forwards. I don't think Babcock will go with 8 defencemen as too many prospects on D can be sent to the AHL without waivers.

I think the lines will shake out like this:

JVR-Matthews-Marner
Komarov-Kadri-Nylander
Michalek-Bozak-Lupul
Greening-Laich-Hyman
Holland-Leivo

The rest of the forward prospects will be sent back to the AHL for one more season until they can clear Michalek, Greening, Laich and Lupul off the team through UFA and a buyout next summer.

 

[BertCorbeau]

The long and short of this is that it will be a busy summer in Leaf-land meaning there should be a lot of news and a lot of moves to discuss