The season is officially over for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But that doesn’t mean the content must stop. Yes, although the Maple Leafs may not be playing actual hockey games anymore, the Editor in Leaf staff have been working around the clock to ensure that every angle from every offseason topic has been covered.
With so many pieces hitting the wall all at once, it’s natural that a few may have fallen through the cracks. So, let’s take a look at some of the past week’s most intriguing pieces.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Why I Don’t Like the Kadri Trade
I just want to make it clear here that this is a content roundup, where I round up other writers’ content, and therefore I do not share this opinion.
Trading Nazem Kadri (and others) to the Colorado Avalanche for Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot (he hates being called Alex) was a fantastic move, in my personal opinion, by Kyle Dubas. Not only does it significantly alleviate the Maple Leafs’ cap, it balances out the structure of the blueline by gifting it with a genuine top pair RHD.
You know, the exact player archetype that the Leafs have been searching for since I was in middle school.
Alas, Nick doesn’t feel the same way. He’s not a huge fan of the Kadri trade, and made his thoughts well known in his latest piece. Do you want to see if you agree with him? Give it a read and find out.
“This is the last year of Barrie’s contract and if he has a year like last year, he will probably be looking for $6 million plus. A comparative to Barrie is Jake Gardiner, but Barrie might have the edge.
He has had two career years posting 57 points in the 2017/18 season and like I said before, 59 points last year (2018/19 season). The most points Gardiner has had in a year is 52, which came in the 2017/18 season.
Even though Gardiner has not been signed yet there are rumours that he’s asking for $6 million plus, which is why the Leafs are not re-signing him yet. If Gardiner can get that much, I expect Barrie to get that too.”
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Dominos are Falling Fast
Boy, oh boy. The Maple Leafs have been making moves at a rip-roaring rate lately, jettisoning Patrick Marleau on the second day of the draft, then moving out both of Nikita Zaitsev and Connor Brown, before finally dealing long-time staple Nazem Kadri to the Avalanche. In between, Kyle Dubas has also been hard at work signing a number of bargain bin centres to endow his lineup with extra depth, betting on heaps of skill over chunks of grit.
Is this a good thing? Yes! Of course, it is. But how does it affect the other Maple Leafs that are vying for lineup spots? Or someone like Mitch Marner, for example, who has yet to negotiate a contract extension?
Well, Jarrett dives into this very conundrum, answering all of those questions and more. Check it out below.
“However, the Leafs did gain some cap question marks, as Cody Ceci and Alexander Kerfoot are restricted free agents without a contract for the 2019-20 season.
According to CapFriendly.com, the Leafs currently have $11M in cap space for the 2019-20 season. After placing Nathan Horton on long-term injury reserve and shipping the temporary roster holders for Kerfoot, Ceci and Marner to the AHL, the Leafs should have around $18.5M in cap space.
This money will almost certainly be allocated to Ceci, Kerfoot and Marner. Assuming that Ceci’s reported verbal contract agreement for $4.5M/season is formalized, and Kerfoot receives something in the range of Kapanen’s $3.2M and Johnsson’s $3.4M, the Leafs should have more than $10.5M in cap room to sign Marner.”
Toronto Maple Leafs: Marner Potential Target for Montreal
The Montreal Canadiens royally screwed up when they attempted to offer sheet Sebastian Aho away from the Carolina Hurricanes. From the moment the news broke of the rarely-seen transaction, everyone with even a little sense knew immediately that Don Waddell would be matching the team-friendly $8.45 million AAV the Canadiens attempted to pry the talented centre away with. If anything, Marc Bergevin did Carolina a huge favour.
So, where does that leave the Habs? They have a decent, albeit not terrific lineup and more cap space than they know what to do with. Could another offer sheet be in the cards? Perhaps, directed at Mitch Marner?
Wilbert sure thinks so. And, if this offer sheet works out anything like the last one, the Maple Leafs should be hoping for it, too. Give it a read.
“Reportedly, Marner is looking for a top dollar deal comparable to Matthews’ deal, something the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t willing to pay him yet. Rumour has it that the Maple Leafs offered Marner an 8-year deal with an AVV of $10 million dollars.
While it has to be taken with a truckload of salt due to the nature of the source, Brian Burke, if there’s any truth to it, Marner wasn’t interested.
It’s not inconceivable that Aho has broken the deadlock on offer sheets, and specifically, for Mitch Marner. The Canadiens surely proved they are willing to wield an offer sheet, the question remains if Marner is willing to sign one.”
Thanks for reading!