News Article: Toronto Maple Leafs Cap Situation Promises Roster Growth

[LastWordArmy]

After completing a respectable season, the Toronto Maple Leafs are preparing for an eventful summer. As they continue to grow, the Leafs have allowed themselves to maintain a cap-friendly roster. By doing so, the team is heading into the off-season with a lot of potential playing room. Lou Lamoriello and company will be determined to strengthen the roster before October. Fortunately, the Leafs cap situation will provide them with many opportunities to do so.



http://lastwordonhockey.com/2017/05/13/leafs-cap-situation-promises-roster-growth/

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[deletethis]

The salary cap space in 2017-18 is considerably less than the article suggests ($12M). They aren't in trouble or anything like that but there are considerable rookie bonuses carrying over from 2016-17 (as much as $5M).

 

[TorontoTrades]

Meh, don't seem them doing too much to use up cap room. I think we'll chase Alzner with Stone maybe a consolation prize. Doubt we ink both.. as much as Rielly Gardiner Zaitsev Alzner Stone and Carrick/Nielsen looks great I doubt we tie that much cap with some young forwards needing contracts in the next couple years.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Leafs can't go on a spending spree due to the buyouts of Gleeson, Cowan, retention of Kessel cost 3,5m
Fehr does he make the team or is he 1.1m cap hit when sent to the Marlies. And Lupul, is going to be deemed healthy and his there were be 4,3m cap hit if sent to the Marlies.

I suppose they will have to cheap Dmen playing similar roles than Hunwick and Polak did last year. So, I figure the team will be similar to the one last season.

 

[cookie]

I think Lou has enough experience with July 1st shenanigans that I don't foresee him chasing a Stone or Alzner. This group has been financially responsible unlike prior groups that would sign older defensemen coming off of broken legs to long contracts. I think Polak will be replaced internally by Dermott or Holm. We need to see how the expansion draft plays out. Lou has made 3 different types of transactions with McPhee since the salary cap was implemented. The Knights could be an interesting intermediary for trades.

 

[Macallan18]

what a ridiculous article. Stone and Alzner make our defence weaker, and put Jake on the third pairing??? The author, and tv commentators are completely clueless. Lol, Button is a clown. Fired from being a GM for good reason.
ps, He hates Kappy, shows what a fool he is.

 

[SprDaVE]

The salary cap space in 2017-18 is considerably less than the article suggests ($12M). They aren't in trouble or anything like that but there are considerable rookie bonuses carrying over from 2016-17 (as much as $5M).

It's around that if you account going over the cap. When you have to submit your roster and be cap compliant, that's when you put your players on IR/LTIR. We will be able to use Lupul and Hortons LTIR to go over the cap without penalty.

 

[thewave]

It's around that if you account going over the cap. When you have to submit your roster and be cap compliant, that's when you put your players on IR/LTIR. We will be able to use Lupul and Hortons LTIR to go over the cap without penalty.

I thought Lupul is working his tail off to make the big recovery.

 

[ShaneFalco]

I thought Lupul is working his tail off to make the big recovery.

He's training for a cage match with a fan

 

[pylon17]

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of signing Alzner as a perfect 4/5 shutdown stabilizer.
And then if we could trade for Tanev I'd be happy as pig in ****.
Those two would transform our team.

 

[Mickey Marner]

After bonuses the management has roughly 7M to fill 6 spots. Mostly depth, so it won't be difficult. Throwing 4-5 million at Alzner is fools gold, he's not worth rolling bonuses over.

 

[The CyNick]

My prediction is we don't sign one significant UFA in the off season.

I think the similarity between the roster that finished this season and starts next season will shock many people.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Matthews, Nylanders, Marner, Kadri, Rielly, Gardiner, Zaitsev, Andersen are our core moving forward.

Any other player making over 2.5M moving forward is not safe. We have enough depth on the wings and defence coming in that we can start to integrate them in with our stars.

Sign all our guys, but if they make too much, they will become trade bait, specifically for a young top 4 dman.

 

[Intact]

My prediction is we don't sign one significant UFA in the off season.

I think the similarity between the roster that finished this season and starts next season will shock many people.

Bingo. Exactly my thoughts going forward, we might add a better depth defenceman but even that would be pushing it from what I think the roster will look like

 

[hullsy47]

Bingo. Exactly my thoughts going forward, we might add a better depth defenceman but even that would be pushing it from what I think the roster will look like

or if a big players comes in some salary moves out ,might be a big type of lou lam trade ,a stud defenseman maybe ,but you gotta give to get .
the key is ,is how good cant the young forwards get ,and can jake gardiner get any better? can jvr skate any better? both those guys will want raises ,and zaitzev and reily are a pair ,so trades may be the big changes

 

[bluumax]

or if a big players comes in some salary moves out ,might be a big type of lou lam trade ,a stud defenseman maybe ,but you gotta give to get .
the key is ,is how good cant the young forwards get ,and can jake gardiner get any better? can jvr skate any better? both those guys will want raises ,and zaitzev and reily are a pair ,so trades may be the big changes

This time last year we were having the exact same conversations about another organisational weakness; goaltending, and some of the comments were exactly the same; we'll draft, we'll add depth, no big FA signings, we'll develop ETC.

What did we learn??- Lou doesnt **** around, and never has;

- NJ needed scoring- POWWW, he trades for Kovalchuk
- NJ needed a solid keeper to replace Broduer- POWW he trades a first plus(?) for Schnieder.
- Leafs needed a goaltending upgrade- POWWWWW, he trades for Anderson

Just take a look through his draft day trades.

Id say the odds are better for a trade than they are for the whole "wait and see" approach.

 

[The CyNick]

or if a big players comes in some salary moves out ,might be a big type of lou lam trade ,a stud defenseman maybe ,but you gotta give to get .
the key is ,is how good cant the young forwards get ,and can jake gardiner get any better? can jvr skate any better? both those guys will want raises ,and zaitzev and reily are a pair ,so trades may be the big changes

A "stud" D will cost Matthews, Marner, or Nylander. Don't see us doing that.

 

[SprDaVE]

I thought Lupul is working his tail off to make the big recovery.

Keep believing that.

 

[Drew311]

Meh, don't seem them doing too much to use up cap room. I think we'll chase Alzner with Stone maybe a consolation prize. Doubt we ink both.. as much as Rielly Gardiner Zaitsev Alzner Stone and Carrick/Nielsen looks great I doubt we tie that much cap with some young forwards needing contracts in the next couple years.

I don't think the Leafs sign anything close to a free agent of this tier. The last thing they want to do is overpay on a longterm contract and undo all of the great work keeping their cap down to date. They'll sign a couple of grinders and those two Swedish defensemen from Europe and call it a day. Keep the flexibility until you know what you're paying Matthews, Marner and Nylander two years from now.

 

[Menzinger]

A "stud" D will cost Matthews, Marner, or Nylander. Don't see us doing that.

Likely a near certainty such a trade won't happen.

Though I'd say there's a high chance they make a trade for a lower tier 2nd pairing guy.

Management bolstered by signs the rebuild is ahead of schedule and that no Leafs prospect is close to being 2nd pairing ready, they'll have to make a move sooner rather than later and of course the situation that expansion creates this offseason also indicates there will be a higher level of trades than normal.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

Would avoid any big ticket free agent this summer like the plague.

If you can sign Kulikov to a cheap, short term deal as a reclamation project, then fine. (Also, wouldn't be harmful to play him with Zaitsev).

Also, maybe Brendan Smith. But again, cheap youngish defenseman hoping to catch lightning in a bottle knowing some D men have the light come on in their mid to late 20s.

 

[Toronto makebeleifs]

I wouldn't be upset if we signed stone. Something like 2yrs @3m. We do have our rookie bonuses eating some cap this year but will still have plenty available after laich, michalek, greening, Robidas are off the books this year. Cowans buyout penalty is over after this season, and so is lupul, bozak, and jvr. So could we sign someone like stone for 2 years? Absolutely. Should we look at shattenkirk and alzner for more than 4 yrs (likely both guys look for between 5-7 years)... I would not. As some other posters have stated (including myself) go for guys that would improve what you have. Stone is arguably better than hunwick and we could call up someone like valiev, who is looking like a more mobile Roman polak. Improve the defence enough to drop the goals against by 10 and maintain your offensive output to last season and you've moved up anywhere between 2-10 points in the standings. We don't have to go for the home run all the time, marginal improvement with no plateau will get us to the promised land.

 

[LaPlante94]

Anyone else genuinely concerned about Lupul? lol

Nobody has heard anything about him, guy hasn't tweeted anything in a year.

Where is Lou hiding this guy

 

[Toronto makebeleifs]

Anyone else genuinely concerned about Lupul? lol

Nobody has heard anything about him, guy hasn't tweeted anything in a year.

Where is Lou hiding this guy

Why would anyone be concerned about a guy getting paid over 4 million a year to stay away from the team?

 

[Pholus]

what a ridiculous article. Stone and Alzner make our defence weaker, and put Jake on the third pairing??? The author, and tv commentators are completely clueless. Lol, Button is a clown. Fired from being a GM for good reason.
ps, He hates Kappy, shows what a fool he is.

I was initially surprised that Button would advocate going after Smith/Stone, since those guys would actually help improve out d. Then I got to the point where he says that playing Alzner at the expense of Gardiner would improve the defensive play...

We already have Marincin under contract for next year (unless Vegas claims him) for $1.25m, is Alzner worth 3-4 million to upgrade? I would say no. Whether Alzner even is an upgrade on Marincin seems debatable.