The Toronto Maple Leafs will start training camp soon, but in the meantime, it can’t hurt to check in on the team’s salary cap status.
In the NHL, you are allowed to go over the salary cap by 10% in the summer, which is why the Toronto Maple Leafs currently find themselves $1, 496, 116 dollars over the salary cap.
The Leafs are not only over the cap, but they also have not signed Rasmus Sandin yet.
The restricted free-agent has no contract, and no obvious spot in the lineup (though at the moment that is because the team is keeping worse players). (info from capfriendly.com).
The Toronto Maple Leafs Salary Cap Situation
The Leafs are over the cap, but it’s not really a bid deal due the flexibility of their roster.
Alex Kerfoot is probably the best 4th-best winger in hockey, and he makes $3.5 million dollars, and the Leafs have several options to replace him, including Nick Robertson who scored at a 40 goals pace in the AHL last year.
Additionally, Justin Holl is a solid top-four defender who makes more money $2 million and would be someone most teams in the NHL could use, considering the relative lack of right-handed defenseman.
Then there is Jake Muzzin who is making $5.5 and blocking Rasmus Sandin, but who does have a full NTC.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have options, and all of these players should be movable without having to pay to make it happen.
The Leafs cap situation is overall very good because they do not have a single bad contract on their roster, something almost no other team can say.
12 teams are currently over the salary cap, and half the league is within a million of going over. Training camp will see a lot of players placed on the LTIR, and others cut and bought out as teams get back below the cap.
One there is some clarity about which rookies can make the team, the Leafs can make moves to clear space. They really have no reason to make any hasty decisions, although in an ideal situation Rasmus Sandin does not miss training camp.
The Leafs currently have 48 of the maximum 50 contracts, and one of those is highly likely to go to Zach Aston-Reese who could potentially be an amazing low-risk pickup.
Overall, the Leafs cap situation is about as close to ideal as it is possible to be while icing a competitive team. They are getting value on all of their deals, and have no need to buy out or trade any core pieces.
The fact that they have so much flexibility to make moves depending on how camp goes and what they want to do is what makes their situation so ideal.