Toronto Maple Leafs Salary Cap: Breakdown & Cap Space Analysis

As a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you know the salary cap is a constant source of discussion and speculation. How much cap space do the Leafs have? Which players are taking up the most room? How does this impact their trade and free-agent strategies? Let’s break it down.

Understanding the Leafs Cap Space

The NHL salary cap is a hard ceiling that teams cannot exceed. It fluctuates from season to season based on league revenues. The Toronto Maple Leafs salary cap, like every NHL team, is constantly in flux due to trades, injuries, and performance bonuses.

Resources like CapWages offer detailed breakdowns of the Toronto Maple Leafs salaries, individual player contracts, and cap hits.

Key Factors Impacting the Leafs Salary Cap

  • Big Contracts: The Leafs’ core stars – Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares – command a significant portion of the salary cap. These contracts make it challenging to fit in additional high-priced talent.
  • LTIR: Long-term injured reserve (LTIR) can provide some cap relief. Players on LTIR don’t count against the active salary cap, allowing teams to exceed the cap limit.
  • Performance Bonuses: Players can earn performance bonuses which potentially count against the following season’s salary cap.

Looking Ahead: Cap Implications for the Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ salary cap situation leaves limited cap space, making it crucial for management to be strategic. They’ll need to balance retaining key players, filling roster needs, and avoiding exceeding the salary cap.

Stay Up-to-Date on Leafs News and Rumors

Want to stay on top of the latest Toronto Maple Leafs trade rumors, cap discussions, and their Leafs TV schedule? Our website is your go-to source for all things Leafs. We provide in-depth analysis, breaking news, and insights to keep you in the loop.

Understanding the Toronto Maple Leafs Salary Cap Situation

Toronto Maple Leafs

Multi-Year Salary Cap Projections (Updated: May 9, 2026)
Forwards
Player Pos Age 25-26 Cap Hit 26-27 Cap Hit
Auston Matthews “C”C28$13,250,000$13,250,000
William Nylander “A”RW30$11,500,000$11,500,000
EXTMatthew KniesLW/RW23$7,750,000$7,750,000
EXTJohn Tavares “A”C35$4,380,000$4,380,000
Max DomiRW/C31$3,750,000$3,750,000
TRADEMatias MaccelliLW/RW25$3,425,000$3,425,000
TRADEDakota JoshuaLW29$3,250,000$3,250,000
Calle JarnkrokRW/C34$2,100,000UFA
Nicholas RobertsonLW/RW24$1,825,000RFA
Steven LorentzC/LW30$1,350,000UFA
Jacob QuillanC24$875,000RFA
ELCEaston CowanRW/LW20$873,500$873,500
Bo GroulxC26$812,500UFA
TOTAL FORWARDS$55,141,000$48,178,500
Defense
Player Pos Age 25-26 Cap Hit 26-27 Cap Hit
Morgan Rielly “A”LD32$7,500,000$7,500,000
Jake McCabeLD32$4,491,898$4,491,898
Oliver Ekman-LarssonLD34$3,500,000$3,500,000
TRADEBrandon CarloRD29$3,485,000$3,485,000
Simon BenoitLD/RD27$1,350,000$1,350,000
Philippe MyersRD29$850,000UFA
Troy StecherRD32$787,500UFA
TOTAL DEFENSE$21,964,398$20,326,898
Goaltenders
Player Pos Age 25-26 Cap Hit 26-27 Cap Hit
Joseph WollG27$3,666,667$3,666,667
Anthony StolarzG32$2,500,000UFA
TOTAL GOALIES$6,166,667$3,666,667
Dead Cap & Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR)
Player Type Notes 25-26 Cost 26-27 Cost
Chris TanevLTIRSigned through 2030$4,500,000$4,500,000
Nicolas RoyBuyoutBuyout Cost$2,328,125$2,328,125
Scott LaughtonBuyoutBuyout Cost$1,171,875$1,171,875
Bobby McMannBuyoutBuyout Cost$1,054,698$1,054,698
Misc. BuyoutsBuyoutBlais, Kampf, Primeau$504,296$504,296
TOTAL LTIR RELIEF & DEAD CAP$5,058,994$5,058,994
25-26 Ceiling $95,500,000
25-26 Total Hit $84,681,002
26-27 Projected Ceiling $104,000,000
26-27 Active Contracts (14) $77,231,059
26-27 Projected Space $26,768,941*
*Note: The massive 2026-27 Projected Space is highly conditional. While they have nearly $26.7M to spend under the new $104M ceiling, they only have 14 active contracts on the books and will need to backfill key roles, re-sign Nicholas Robertson, and secure a 1B goaltender to pair with Joseph Woll.

2 COMMENTS

  1. […] notes the Leafs will have nearly $30 million in salary-cap space with Tyler Bozak, Dominic Moore, Ben Smith, Joffrey Lupul, Leo Komarov, James van Riemsdyk and […]

  2. […] View the Toronto Maple Leafs salary cap here. […]

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