Leafs reportedly working to move contracts to create some additional cap space
The rumour mill is ramping up, folks! Under one week remaining until the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline and the Leafs have been in all sorts of rumours. The latest and greatest comes from TSN's Chris Johnston on Tuesday's edition of Insider Trading.
While the common belief is that the Leafs only have the cap space to pull off one more move before the deadline, Johnston is reporting that the Leafs may be working to clear out some salary from the current roster to make some moves to address multiple roster needs.
-Johnston on what he's hearing about the Leafs' deadline plans.
The Leafs have a number of contracts that they could likely move out that would have a minimal impact on their current roster, while having a significant impact in opening up some valuable cap space both now and next season.
Ilya Mikheyev counts for $1.65M against the cap and had requested a trade prior to the start of the season, with his primary reason being that he doesn't feel that he has enough of an opportunity in Toronto. Mikheyev has still not becoming a consistent fixture in the Leafs' top-6, so he may still want out. As a pending UFA, the Leafs risk losing him for nothing if he remains in Toronto at the deadline.
Travis Dermott is another name who has generated some interest around the league. According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, there are as many as 5 teams sniffing at Dermott, who is signed through 2022-23, carrying a $1.5M cap hit.
Mrazek is the obvious one here. If the Leafs can move out Mrazek's $3.8M for two more seasons without having to retain any of his salary, the Leafs could become a lot more flexible both at the deadline and into next season.
| POLL | ||
MARS 15 | 719 ANSWERS Leafs reportedly working to move contracts to create some additional cap space If you could only move one of these contracts from the Leafs' roster, who would it be? | ||
| Dermott - $1.5M through next season | 27 | 3.8 % |
| Mrazek - $3.5M through 2023-24 | 585 | 81.4 % |
| Holl - $2M through next season | 55 | 7.6 % |
| Ilya Mikheyev - $1.65M, pending UFA | 52 | 7.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
