TORONTO, AM – FEBRUARY 29: Kasperi Kapanen # 24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs runs against the … [+]
Getty Images
The young core of the Toronto Maple Leafs is not getting any younger. After the 15th season in a row without a win in the playoff series, it was clear that changes were imminent.
On Tuesday the first change came in the form of a trade. Toronto sent Kasperi Kapanen, Pontus Aberg and Jesper Lindgren to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2020 first round selection (# 15 overall), Filip Hallander, Evan Rodrigues and David Warsofsky.
Much can be said about this deal – Kapan’s second round with the penguins, Hallander’s intriguing uptrend, the options Toronto will have on pick # 15, etc. – but let’s focus on the central purpose of the deal from the perspective of Maple Leafs.
Toronto took this step to take further steps.
“I don’t think that’s going to be the case for us later,” Kyle Dubas, general manager of Maple Leafs, told media members on Tuesday evening. “We wanted this (cap) flexibility so that we could be flexible within the market either for free agents or for trades.”
Despite the fact that six players were exchanged in this deal, Kapanen is the only one who really matters to the Maple Leafs. He has a $ 3.2 million cap hit for the next two seasons that is now on the Maple Leafs books.
As a result, CapFriendly is forecasting a cap spot for the Maple Leafs of $ 7.7 million for the 2020-21 season.
The restriction, however, is that in Toronto only 16 players are currently committed for the next year (NHL squad maximum 23). You’ll have to increase that to at least 20 for games, but it’s fair to assume they want a full roster under contract.
In other words, the projected space of $ 7.7 million is stretched thin. There are five restricted freelance agents – most notably Travis Dermott and Ilya Mikheyev – to deal with.
Then it’s the unrestricted free agents (Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci, Kyle Clifford, and Jason Spezza) most or all of whom are likely to walk out the door unless there is more cash flow available.
So again: This step was made with more trains in mind.
And maybe Toronto’s newly acquired 2020 first round selection could be involved. Dubas had to say thatOn the choice, “We are open to postponing it if the right deal comes in for someone who could help us.”
For a general manager, this is quite a branding thing, but it’s still noteworthy that he advertises the team’s willingness to make the choice. Maybe he’s fishing for interest.
Keep in mind that Toronto’s own 2020 first-round player (# 13 overall) is owned by Carolina thanks to a cap-clearing venture last summer.
Toronto sent Patrick Marleau and his $ 6.25 million cap hit to the Hurricanes along with a first and seventh hit against a sixth round.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 23: Patrick Marleau # 12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on during the … [+]
Getty Images
There are no more Albatros deals on the Maple Leafs list (though Phil Kessel has two more seasons on the books at $ 1.2 million a year), so a Marleau deal this off-season doesn’t make sense. But a first round could be the key to a trade that will bring back a highly skilled defender who is high on the Maple Leafs wish list.
On the flip side, if Toronto is to find a D-man in the freelance agent market – especially the biggest fish, Alex Pietrangelo – they have to cut costs more.
Andreas Johnsson ($ 3.4 million cap hit) and Alex Kerfoot ($ 3.5 million) take part in these talks, among others. That should cause a stir in an important off-season.
.
