The Toronto Maple Leafs will eventually find themselves having to choose between Phillippe Myers and the recently acquired Matt Benning. That's not a big deal as neither one is an impact player, but eventually they are going to be faced with a harder decision about their packed roster.
According to insider Frank Seravalli, the Toronto Maple Leafs may run into cap considerations necessitating a move to clear cap space and/or a roster spot. That situation might be put off for a while because of recent injuries to Max Pacioretty and Auston Matthews, but eventually the Leafs will have to choose.
So, why is that a problem for the Leafs? Well, no one wants to have to waive a player when they could get a draft pick for them, but as we've seen, injuries can and do happen with alarming frequency in the NHL.
It would be bad luck to cut several players only for another rash of injuries to occur.
So far, injuries have kept the Toronto Maple Leafs from making a decision
Neither Benning and Myers are worth much more than a waiver claim, and neither is likely to bring back an asset of value, which means they have more value to the Leafs as insurance pieces than anywhere else. I suppose Benning could be a valuable commodity to a team short on blueliners like the New York Islanders or the Utah Hockey Club, but players like him and Myers are not in short supply.
With Connor Dewar’s return upon us, and Jani Hakanpaa and Calle Jarnkrok due back soon, and Auston Matthews unlikely to be out past this week, the Leafs will need to make a decision as their cap situation is quite precarious - they've been way over all year and have only managed due to injuries.
There aren't many players on the Leafs who can be sent to the AHL without waivers, and none that they'd actually want to demote. Myers, Hakanpaaa, Reaves, Dewar, Lorentz, Holmberg are all on the bubble, but the Leafs could also find more cap space if they chose to bail on a more expensive player like Max Domi, David Kampf or Calle Jarnkrok (though his cap hit isn't even counting at the moment).
In particular, Dewar’s return to the lineup could mean the need to clear roster spots. As Seravalli pointed out, the easiest way out would be to waive either Matt Benning or Phillipe Myers. But the Leafs love giant defenseman, so they'd prefer to at least keep Myers if they can.
That situation makes Benning the odd man out, which has been pretty obvious, but the thing is, he alone won't be enough.
So, what options do the Toronto Maple Leafs have at this point?
The current situation is really more noise than anything else. The Leafs might seem like they have to make tough choices regarding who to keep and who to move, but in reality, the players at the bottom of the lineup make very little difference. A best case-scenario is somehow keeping all the balls in the air and moving things around without having to waive anyone long enough to work out a trade for a lower pick, which the Leafs are more or less desperate to acquire right now.