Buy Out His Contract
While not as pricey as the previous option, this route has longer term impacts to the Toronto Maple Leafs salary cap situation.
Heading into next season, the Toronto Maple Leafs finally have a clean slate when it comes to any sort of salary retention or buyouts.
The remnants of the Phil Kessel contract finally disappearing from the books this summer should allow the Leafs the tiniest fraction more breathing room.
Hence why it seems a slightly flawed approach to consider a buyout of Petr Mrazek. After finally shaking the $1.2 million per season payment to Kessel, they’d essentially sign up for four years of paying Mrazek to be off the books.
Granted a buyout does net the Toronto Maple Leafs savings of $2.76 million this season and $2.96 million the following year.
However, it then stings them for $1.43 million for a bonus two more years. A small amount maybe, but one that initially hits as William Nylander and Austin Matthews seek new deals.
Rest assured a buyout is absolutely an avenue the Maple Leafs will be exploring if it’s a way to shake this contract. It’s just an approach requiring a lot of careful consideration.
Carrying money against the salary cap for a player that is no longer available to play for the team is never something you want to see, so the Toronto Maple Leafs will be doing their utmost to avoid it.