The Toronto Maple Leafs have worked tirelessly this offseason to re-work their roster into a more balanced, forward-thinking unit.
And even that still might not be enough.
Well, friends, we’re now deep into the dog days of July – a time in the sports calendar when hockey’s biggest news story is William Nylander changing his number, to the outrage of a bunch of sad old uncles. But don’t think you can relax quite yet. No, the Maple Leafs are still an unfinished product, and something needs to be done.
Toronto’s most pressing concern, of course, centres around finding a new contract for Mitch Marner, who appears entirely content to push his already absurd stalemate to the absolute nth degree.
Frankly, I have full confidence that Marner’s debacle (and it IS a debacle) will eventually be resolved. Mitch wants to be a Leaf, the Leafs want him to be a Leaf, and once training camp rolls around to present a vision in which that future is threatened, the young winger will come back to the bargaining table.
Great! Nothing to worry about. Everything is fine. Right?
Well, not so fast. You see, even if Marner decides to play ball and re-signs with his hometown team at a reasonable price, Kyle Dubas still needs to find the requisite space on his cap sheet to allow that to actually happen. Why, you ask? Well, because the Maple Leafs don’t have it.
With just $3,765,301 left of financial breathing room at the moment, per CapFriendly, the endeavour of fitting Marner’s new price tag – expected to land somewhere in the $9-10 million range, annually – will require some daring financial gymnastics.
How can Dubas pull this off?
The LTIR option exists, of course. Nathan Horton and his $5.3 million in dead cash (thank you, David Clarkson) will take its annual trip to Robidas Island at the first legally permitted moment, therein granting the Maple Leafs with precisely $9,065,301 in spending room when all is said and done. Although, even that won’t open a big enough passage to squeeze Marner through, barring he pulls a total 180 and opts for a discount.
So, what then? Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott will be the next victims to be placed on LTIR to kick off the year – which is expected, as both players are expected to miss the first month of the season while recovering from respective injuries. Their combined salaries inflate Toronto’s cap space to $12,178,634.
Problem solved, right? Of course not! Nothing is easy in Leafs Land. What did you expect?
The difference between placing Horton on Long Term Injured Reserve as opposed to guys like Hyman and Dermott is the latter two will one day recover from their long-term injuries and return to count against the cap. What happens in mid-to-late November when Hyman and Dermott are cleared for action and the Maple Leafs suddenly find themselves over the cap?
Honestly, I don’t know. But it’s times like these when the decision to lock Cody Ceci in at $4.5 million makes even fewer sense.
Basically, Dubas has some decisions to make. Hard ones, in fact.
Regardless of which outcome the Marner Saga inevitably reaches, at least one player who happens to be on Toronto’s roster at the time you’re reading this won’t be when December 1st rolls around, at the latest. There simply isn’t enough room for it, even after taking advantage of every possible financial resource a team like the Maple Leafs has access to. And even if they manage to somehow find a Marner-sized pocket of room in their current state, Dubas will then be left completely handcuffed when it comes to the possibility of midseason acquisitions.
Suddenly you realize why he doesn’t just give in Marner’s (outrageous) demands and shower him with Auston Matthews money. Every penny counts for a team as perilously close to the cap ceiling as the Maple Leafs are.
Literally; every single one.
So even while you spend the dog days sipping margaritas by the pool, keep an eye open for any breaking news. It’s coming.