The Biggest Hindrance to the Toronto Maple Leafs Success

The Toronto Maple Leafs have the second most Stanley Cups in NHL history.

However, the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won one was two years before Max Domi’s father, hockey tough guy and failed comedian Tie Domi, was born.

To say that the organization has been in a slump would be an understatement. It’s been 56 years since their last championship. To get a sense of exactly how long ago that was, colour broadcasting first came available to Canadians during the Leafs final run to capturing the Cup.

A lot has happened since that last championship. The most important would be the expansion of the league. The 1967-68 season saw the NHL double in size, moving from its original six clubs to 12. Today, there are 32 teams in the NHL, making it even more difficult to win a title.

The Biggest Hindrance to the Toronto Maple Leafs Success

The other very important change came following the 2005 lockout. That’s when the modern NHL salary cap was established. This has forced general managers to be very careful with the contracts they hand players, because a bad one can sink a team for years.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have found another way to make winning more difficult for themselves. That’s by agreeing to stipulations in their players contracts that gives the player the autonomy of where they will be playing.

According to Cap Friendly, 14 of the Leafs players have some kind of restrictive language in their respective contracts about being moved or traded. The difference between a no-trade versus a no-move clause is simple. The no-trade means a player cannot be traded without signing off on it. A no-move means, he cannot cannot be waived, assigned to the minors, or traded without his approval.

Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Morgan Rielly all have no-move clauses. Jake Muzzin has a no-trade clause.

There are also seven players who have modified no-trade clauses. They must submit a list of 10 team to which the Maple Leafs cannot send them. The players who have this in their contracts are William Nylander, Max Domi, David Kämpf, Calle Järnkrok, TJ Brodie, John Klingberg, and Matt Murray. Jake McCabe also has one, but he’s only able to block seven possible destinations.

With so many restrictions on who the Leafs brass can move, they get locked into situations like the one they’re in now, exceeding the salary cap trying to find a way out. If, for example, Tavares didn’t have a no-move, Brad Treliving wouldn’t be stuck with his $11M deal. Not that it would be ideal to move the captain even if you could, it’s just nice to have the option.

There should be a lesson from all this. The Leafs should do their best to avoid giving players veto power. Considering the three contracts handed out so far by Treliving to Bertuzzi, Kämpf, and Klingberg all have club restrictions on them, it doesn’t appear like the new regime has any problem with limiting trade potential.

Ideally, for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Treliving will change his ways and begin handing just the stars these contractual benefits. There is no reason for Kämpf or Järnkrok to wield the same power as Nylander. However, if Matthews requires a no-move clause to re-sign in Toronto, he should and will be given one.