NHL Buyout Candidates the Toronto Maple Leafs Might Sign
The Toronto Maple Leafs might sign some players at a great discount after the NHL’s first buyout period begins, including a huge defenseman.
Everyone loves a good deal, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are no stranger to the NHL bargain bins of free agency. Last offseason they picked up some great finds in Michael Bunting, Ondrej Kase and David Kämpf.
They may not be household names but they found some good players and were able to sign them to inexpensive contracts.
There are rumours swirling about buyout candidates around the NHL that have been linked to the the Toronto Maple Leafs and that the Leafs might be interested in signing.
The most talked about buyout candidate is 6’5, Nashville Predators defenseman, Philippe Myers. Myers didn’t fit in during his first season in Nashville and was actually loaned to the Toronto Marlies after clearing waivers.
Philippe Myers and the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have obvious interest in Myers since they agreed to the loan on the Marlies where he was given top pairing responsibilities and played in 16 of the Marlies last 17 games.
Myers was playing well enough to earn a $2.55 million AAV contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Nashville Predators are unlikely to keep a player making that much that they don’t even want on their farm team.
Since Myers is 25 years old and his contract is back-end loaded, the Predators would actually get a cap credit of $616,666 and then only spend $633,334 against the cap in 2023-24 if they were to buy out the final year of Philippe Myers’ contract (info from CapFriendly).
The Toronto Maple Leafs could likely then sign Myers to a league minimum contract. He would most likely start the season with the Toronto Marlies, but after continuing to work with the Leafs development coaches, I could see him playing on their roster this season.
Myers is a right-handed defensemen and might even be a good substitute (or even an upgrade) if the Leafs decide to move Justin Holl.
More Buyout Candidates that Might Become Toronto Maple Leafs
There are rumours that the Ottawa Senators are looking to buyout Matt Murray. Toronto was rumoured to be interested in Murray before he signed his $6.25 million AAV contract to join Ottawa as a free agent. Murray played junior hockey with Kyle Dubas and the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds.
The Toronto Maple Leafs might need two new goalies next season, and I could see Matt Murray being one of them at the right price, but I don’t think they would rely on him as a starter.
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Other named being throw around as buyout candidates include Zach Kassian, Colin White, Milan Lucic and Sean Monahan. Any of those player could be useful on the Toronto Maple Leafs for the right price.