The Toronto Maple Leafs have been quiet lately. I’m sure a lot is going on behind the scenes. Brandon Pridham is still negotiating with Auston Matthews and William Nylander on contract extensions.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Assistant GM is working his magic to find the best way to make the Leafs cap compliant by the start of the season. There are a few scenarios for the team to consider. The Leafs are $2,068 million over the NHL salary cap.
This includes having defenseman Jake Muzzin and goaltender Matt Murray on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). The likely scenario is Treliving making a trade. However, he could also decide to start the season with a 20-man roster instead of 23. The Leafs do have a few players that can be sent to the AHL without needing to clear waivers.
So, there is still work to be done by Leafs management. However, the off-season isn’t all about what management is doing. There are lots of things happening in the players’ lives during the off-season. Here is an update on a few of the players.
Toronto Maple Leafs Players Update
Matt Murray
As mentioned earlier, Matt Murray will start the season on LTIR. He is not where he needs to be healthwise, and the NHL has vetted the Leafs’ request to have him placed on LTIR. Many speculated that he would get bought out by the Leafs, but that was not possible due to his injury status.
Rodion Amirov
The Toronto Maple Leafs received great news regarding prospect Rodion Amirov. In a recent interview with Sport-Express Russia, The General Director of Amirov’s KHL team (Salavat Yulaev) Rinat Bashirov, was asked about the 21-year-old’s health. He responded with the following,
“He continues treatment, there is a positive trend,” Bashirov said. “He has full confidence that he will go on the ice. Of course, if Rodion played for us, it would be a completely different team.”
“I can tell that he has matured a lot. He continues to work, his parents and we support him very much, and, of course, Rodion took the signing of the contract positively. We pray for him. I believe that he will return, we are all waiting for him.”
Amirov was selected by the Leafs in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft with the 15th overall pick. He signed his entry-level contract (ELC) in April 2021, ten months before his brain tumor diagnosis.
Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner is now a married man. The 26-year-old and his fiancée Stephanie tied the knot on Saturday, July 29th. There was a mix of current and former Leafs players in attendance. Some current players included Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly, while former teammates Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner, Matt Martin, and James Van Riemsdyk were there.
Rich Clune
Marner wasn’t the only one getting married on the weekend. Former Toronto Marlies captain Rich Clune and his fiancée Isabel tied the knot on Sunday, July 30th. Clune retired from playing after the 2021-22 season. He currently works with the Toronto Maple Leafs in their Player Development Department.
Nick Abruzzese
The Leafs announced on Monday morning that they’ve re-signed forward Nick Abruzzese to a two-year deal. His yearly salary cap hit will be $775,000.
Abruzzese registered 16 goals and 32 assists last season with the Toronto Marlies.