The Leafs just one trade away from becoming cap compliant; here's who the may be on the way out
The Leafs made headlines on Wednesday when they announced that veteran goaltender Matt Murray would not be bought out during their 2nd buyout window, but would instead be placed on LTIR this season, clearing his entire $4.687M cap hit off the books and preventing the team from taking on a $2M cap penalty next season from a buyout.
With Murray joining Jake Muzzin on LTIR this season, it frees up approximately $10.3M in cap space, bringing the Leafs' cap overage to approximately $2.1M, much more manageable than the nearly $12.4M that they were over the cap as of yesterday.
The Leafs still have some work to do to become cap compliant, but now, rather than relying on a buyout and another move or two, the Leafs can fix their problems in a number of ways, including one single move. The team currently has 13 forwards on the roster and one of those fowards happens to carry a $2.1M cap hit.
Calle Jarnkrok was brought in by the Leafs last summer on a 4-year deal worth $2.1M per season. He is a player who can play up and down the lineup. He had some previous experience at center, but was used almost exclusively on the wing last season for the Leafs. Now, with the team having brought in the likes of Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Ryan Reaves this summer, perhaps GM Brad Treliving would like to move Jarnkrok's $2.1M off the roster and replace him with a cheaper bottom six option, since he's not likely to play in the top six this year.
It does seem a little convenient that the amount that the Leafs remain over the cap is the same amount that moving Jarnkrok's contract can cover, but nothing is a certainty at this point. The Leafs may also become compliant by assigning Dylan Gambrell to the Marlies, trading one of Sam Lafferty or Conor Timmins and then having a waiver-exempt player like Nick Robertson or Pontus Holmberg begin the season in the AHL. Only time will tell what Treliving has in store for this roster in his first year as Leafs GM.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 26 | 449 ANSWERS The Leafs just one trade away from becoming cap compliant; here's who the may be on the way out Will the Leafs trade Calle Jarnkrok this summer to become cap compliant? | ||
| Yes | 186 | 41.4 % |
| No | 263 | 58.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
