Editor In Leaf
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Toronto Maple Leafs: Building A Smart, Sustainable Foundation

By Tim Chiasson

May 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan (left) and new head coach Mike Babcock share a laugh during a media conference to announce Babcock signing with the club at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan (left) and new head coach Mike Babcock share a laugh during a media conference to announce Babcock signing with the club at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tampa Bay Lightning are a great model for the Toronto Maple Leafs to base their vision from – but they have to do it better than the Lightning.

So far, the Toronto Maple Leafs are steering in the right direction – but that can be derailed, even slightly, by a few bad contracts. The Toronto Maple Leafs need to draft, sign and develop their young talent just like the Lightning, but avoid poisonous contracts – which they’re currently doing.

Money is tight in Tampa because Ryan Callahan, Valterri Filppula, Matthew Carle and Jason Garrison combine for a cap hit of $20.9M. That’s a lot of coin to pay four players who could be replaced by cheaper alternatives. Brayden Coburn’s new cap hit of $3.7M (starting next season) keeps him off this list because even at a $4.5M hit he was probably the closest to earning his keep given his zone starts. The others, though, are overpaid. Plain and simple.

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That’s the part where the Toronto Maple Leafs need to continue to be savvy. They need to keep money for the right players. Steven Stamkos is departing Tampa Bay this off-season. Maybe he wanted to all along, or maybe the financial crunch is the true factor that’s stalling negotiations from getting where Stamkos knows they’ll end up in reality.

The salary cap era is built on extracting value out of players on entry level contracts and the ability to get them to long term deals with the lowest cap hit possible. That’s why Morgan Rielly got a long term deal now instead of a bridge deal. A bridge may have cost the Leafs dearly down the road.

The Lightning fudged a couple deals, their only blemish on great work – but it’s costing them. Toronto must avoid this.

The easiest way to avoid it is to reward veterans with the grit, heart and soul that the public longs for with elder bridge deals – not long term deals at the back end of their 20s or early 30s, and not for market value. For most players who hit free agency that think they’re worth a certain amount long term, there’s another player just as capable who can fill the role you need for much less money and/or term.

The idea is not to hamstring yourself financially so that when your top players finish their ELC’s, you can pay them what’s required and keep your skilled core in tact. I’m not saying the Lightning can’t keep the majority of their core in tact, but it’s going to get difficult really soon.

Next: Leafs Rental Target #1: Stempniak

The Toronto Maple Leafs have potential big money kids coming up for deals in the next three years like William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews*. They also have potential middle money kids like Connor Brown and Zach Hyman to pay. That’s all without adding another top-six forward and top-four defender. It adds up quick, and the future can’t be cast aside down the road because of impulse purchases.

As it stands now, the Toronto Maple Leafs are forging a new path in the NHL front office world: no long term or overpaid deals to undeserving players. They need to keep it that way if they want to compete for a long time in the near future.

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