Liljegren called up and Sandin sent down; what's going on in Toronto?
Following the Leafs' 7-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Monday, the team's taxi squad had dissolved, leading to several players being sent down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies, Timothy Liljegren and Nick Ritchie being among them.
Late Friday, the Leafs had recalled Liljegren and sent down Rasmus Sandin, which appeared somewhat odd, considering how well Sandin has played this season. Well, now we know why.
According to Earl Schwartz, a capologist, the Leafs made the moves for two reasons. One, to ensure that neither Sandin nor Liljegren missed any more NHL pay than they needed to. And two, to continue accruing cap space to use at the trade deadline.
At this point, the Leafs are on pace to have over $1M in cap space at the trade deadline, assuming Nick Ritchie isn't moved to free up an additional $1.3M - and that's with Liljegren and Sandin both accounted for in the lineup.
If Dubas hopes to make an impactful move for a big time player at the deadline, we are likely going to have to see another transaction to clear some space, unless of course he can work out a deal with a third team coming in for double salary retention.
