The Best and Worst Value Contracts Among Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards
The Toronto Maple Leafs have invested heavily in a core of players hoping to find success. In the salary cap world of the NHL, having desirable contracts gives a team a leg up on its competition.
The Toronto Maple Leafs commitment to their star players, and spending to the upper limits on salaries, keeps Assistant General Manager Brandon Pridham busy balancing the team's cap situation.
With a large percentage of the Leafs salary cap dedicated to paying a few players, finding value elsewhere becomes extremely important.
Looking at the Leafs individual player salaries at forward, their Average Annual Value cap percentage, and comparing it to other notable players around the NHL shows the team's best and worst values for the 2024-2025 season.
Worst Value Contracts Among Leafs Forwards
David Kampf It falls under the radar, but Kampf does not merit being paid $2.4 million. That is too much money for a fourth-line center whose best value is taking face-offs and killing penalties. While both roles are underrated in winning, paying a run-of-the-mill defensive center this much is not being cost-efficient.
John Tavares The polarizing, hometown, free-agent signee has been a constant source of consternation among fans during the latter years of his contract. While the Leafs captain has lived up to the deal in representing himself and the team, his production has declined.
He still contributes offensively and helps the power play, but he has the eighth-highest cap hit and fifth-highest AAV cap percentage for 2024-2025. (Stats courtesy of Spotrac.com)
Tavares is no longer an elite player who drives play but is being paid like one. During last spring's playoff series versus the Boston Bruins, he managed only two points in seven games, though he gets some slack for being given extremely defensive minutes due to the Leafs other three star players suffering various health concerns.
The lone positive to this deal is that it expires at season's end. That allows the Maple Leafs one more season to assess Tavares' play and determine if he returns in 2025-2026 for less money and a diminished role.