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Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade for Philippe Myers

By Jeremy Ridgewell |
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 16: Philippe Myers #55 of the Nashville Predators skates to check Alexander Kerfoot #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on November 16, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Predators 3-0.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 16: Philippe Myers #55 of the Nashville Predators skates to check Alexander Kerfoot #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on November 16, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Predators 3-0.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a few roster changes next season. Changes are inevitable every year, for every team, due to the salary cap.

Depending on what Toronto Maple Leafs  general manager Kyle Dubas wants the team to look like next season, there are a several ways to create more salary-cap space. He could become pretty active in the off-season trade market. Players such as Justin Holl and Petr Mrazek could be on the move. If Toronto can move both players in a deal without bringing any salary back, it would give Dubas an additional $5.8 million in cap space.

Dubas is fortunate to have salary cap guru Brandon Pridham as a member of his staff. If anyone can find creative ways to help Toronto create more cap space, it’s Pridham. He has worked wonders since joining the organization in 2014, and guided the Leafs through a competitive period despite a flat cap.

There are a few ways to create cap space using trades. A team can trade salaries away, add a player for long-term injury reserve (LTIR), or the purpose of a buyout. The last option is the most intriguing and one we have seen the Toronto Maple Leafs use in the past.

Why the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade for Philippe Myers

Philippe Myers offers a unique opportunity for any cap-strapped team. He has one year left on his current contract with a $2.55 million cap hit. Because Myers is 25 years old and his deal is back-loaded, any team that adds him can actually create cap space by buying him out.
(Salary Cap info from Capfriendly.com)

The cap relief from his buyout would be $616,666 for next season. The following season will have a charge of $633,334 against the cap. As the NHL’s revenue continues to go up, the salary cap will also continue to rise. A deal such as this could be a good deal for short-term gain.

Deals like this are not new for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They made a similar deal in 2016 for Jared Cowan. He was acquired from the Ottawa Senators as part of the nine-player Dion Phaneuf trade. Immediately after the trade was complete, Toronto let Cowan know that they were going to be buying him out.

When the time came for Toronto to buyout Cowan, he challenged the move on the grounds that players with injuries can not have their contracts bought out. In December, 2016, the arbitrator ruled in favour of the Maple Leafs, and Cowen became a free agent. By winning the buyout case against Cowan, Toronto earned $650,000 in cap space for the 2016-17 season. The following season saw a charge of $750,000 against their cap from Cowan’s deal, but the short-term gain was worth it.

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Should the Toronto Maple Leafs try to add Philippe Myers from Nashville for the purpose of buying him out? It is definitely something they should consider with the limited cap space they have.

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