Players on ‘Show-me’ Contracts
New Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving saw some good players leave, and even though some of his signings were not palatable (see John Klingberg and Ryan Reaves), he did bring in a couple of players that will help the Leafs win the Cup this year.
It was questioned at the time, but Treliving was strategic in inking Bertuzzi and Max Domi to only one-year deals.
Bertuzzi and Domi are relatively young and would love the security of long-term deals, but like so many players who have come through Toronto and had their stock rise, they have a wonderful opportunity to prove themselves in hockey’s biggest market.
Treliving is banking on it, especially come playoff time.
In addition, the salary cap will rise next year by $4.5M, so Treliving will have the opportunity to augment the roster even more when he has more cash on hand.
This brings us to perhaps the player who has the most to prove: William Nylander. He’s in the last year of his contract and, yes, everyone knows he’s elite, but Nylander wants that big pay day. Treliving has stood firm on his offer and Nylander has publicly stated he wants to remain a Leaf.
It’s the exact type of circumstance that will get Nylander to have his best season as a professional. A motivated Nylander along with Bertuzzi and Domi to play on a team with seasoned veteran studs like Matthews and Marner, and young, gifted players like Matthew Knies can only mean one thing: the Toronto Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup this year.