Toronto Maple Leafs: Another Stroke of Absolute Brilliance
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Andreas Johnsson to a new contract.
Yesterday the Toronto Maple Leafs and Andreas Johnsson agreed to a two-way $787, 500 contract for one year. This is surprising because it’s a two-way deal which allows the Leafs to send him to the AHL waiver free, that it’s only one year and that it’s so cheap.
Of all the ways I thought this contract might happen, a one year, two-way league minimum deal was not among them.
This is very surprising.
Andreas Johnsson
After nearly winning the AHL scoring title, playing great in limited NHL minutes and then returning to help the Marlies win the Calder Cup after the Leafs were eliminated from the NHL playoffs, I think nearly everyone who follows the Leafs has penciled Johnsson into the line-up next year.
The one year deal was surprising because I think we’re just trained to look at things from a team-friendly perspective. The Leafs could have paid Johnsson more than he currently deserves (say $2.5 or 3 million) on a long contract (say six years) with the hopes that he turns out to be worth more in the end and provide value against his cap hit.
A good example of this is Calle Jarnkrok in Nashville. The Predators gave him $2 million per year for six years, and now he’s on one of the best contracts in the NHL. (For the team, not the player).
While I’m sure the Leafs explored a deal like this, Johnsson has decided to bet on himself by accepting the Leafs qualifying offer. (The team must offer him a raise adhering to a certain amount in order to retain his free agency rights).
With this contract, Johnsson can go out and score 30 goals and earn himself a massive contract. He could have taken the long term security, but has chosen to gamble that against making some real money. He has bet on himself.
This is a sensible move because the amount of money he’d have to sign for now on a long term deal vs what he can make if he has a breakout year is a difference of million and millions of dollars. And given his age (23 and old for a rookie) he might only get the chance to sign one long term deal in his prime.
Better Chance at Next Year’s Cup
As for the Leafs, this also has some advantages. Sure, it’d be nice to have a player like Johnsson locked up long term on a cap-friendly deal, but paying someone of his potential the (near) league minimum also has its advantages.
It might cost the Leafs Johnsson down the line, if he breaks out and they can no longer afford him under the cap, but for next year, this is amazing. The Leafs have one more season where Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have almost no cap hit. Now you can add Johnsson to that. They basically have an entire first line worth of (potential) star forwards that doesn’t have a cap-hit anywhere close to what it should be.
This will allow the Leafs to add another good player to their lineup and make them even better. This deal massively improves their Stanley Cup chances next season while making it so that Andreas Johnsson is almost guaranteed to find a new team the following year. They won’t be able to afford him if he’s any good.
So while this may cost the Leafs Andreas Johnsson down the line, the new contract makes them an even bigger threat to win the Stanley Cup next year. The risk/reward here is nearly perfect. The Leafs management team continues to impress.
Next: Monthly Notice of Who Not to Trade
The Toronto Maple Leafs have $15 million in cap space (roughly) right now, and just signed the best player in the AHL to contract with (essentially) no cap hit.
Brilliant.