Leafs facing a roster decision that could end up costing them another depth player
The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming up on an important decision involving one of their recent AHL recalls. The Buds have had an especially difficult time in recent seasons getting players to pass through waivers.
Since 2018-19, the Leafs have seen a lot of their roster depth basically just evaporate, losing 11 players on the waiver wire between then and this season. Most recently, the Leafs lost center Adam Brooks and winger Ryan Dzingel to the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks, respectively.
Why is this relevant? Because roughneck winger Kyle Clifford is living on borrowed time in the NHL right now, and if he remains on the Leafs' roster much longer, he will lose his ability to move up and down freely between the NHL and the AHL and once again become waiver eligible.
CBA and salary cap specialist Earl Schwartz reported on Friday that if Clifford remains on the Leafs' roster for 3 more days, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas will run the risk of him being claimed if he has to pass through waivers.
Clifford, 31, is a pending UFA who carries a $1M cap hit. He doesn't provide any real offensive utility whatsoever, he isn't the strongest skater on the ice, and he isn't particularly good defensively. What he does, and does really well, is hit people and punch them in the face.
Depending on what the Leafs have planned in terms of their trade deadline strategy, they may or may not require a guy like that in the playoffs, when the games get a lot tougher. But if the Leafs are planning to bring in someone with a little more of an offensive flair or a defensive specialist who also happens to be physical, perhaps they won't end up needing Clifford in the postseason - in which case, they may not be too concerned with losing him on waivers.
The next 3 weeks are going to be very interesting for Leafs Nation. Dubas and company have some cap space to work with and have already suggested that they're after some players with term. I'm intrigued to see how it all unfolds.
