The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in a familiar predicament as the puck drops on a new NHL season: a salary cap crunch. With the team currently sitting $1.069 million above the cap, the front office is scrambling to find ways to become compliant and create enough room to sign veteran forwards Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz.
NHL insider Speculates LTIR Move, Timmins on Waivers as Leafs Face Cap Crunch
James Mirtle of The Athletic has shed some light on potential solutions the Leafs may be considering. Mirtle speculates that placing defenseman Jani Hakanpaa and forward Connor Dewar on long-term injury reserve (LTIR) could provide the Leafs with some much-needed early-season cap relief. Hakanpaa underwent offseason surgery and is expected to be sidelined for at least 10 games, while Dewar is dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Placing both players on LTIR would free up a combined $2.65 million in cap space, allowing the Leafs to sign Pacioretty and Lorentz. However, this move would also leave the Leafs thin on the back end and up front, especially considering the team’s already limited depth at both positions.
Mirtle also suggests that defenseman Conor Timmins could end up on waivers, with the Leafs potentially opting to use Marshall Rifai as their seventh defenseman. This move would create an additional $1.1 million in cap space but would also leave the Leafs without a proven right-shot defenseman on their roster.
The Leafs’ cap situation is further complicated by the fact that they still need to sign restricted free agent forward Nick Robertson. While Robertson is not expected to command a significant salary, his contract will still add to the Leafs’ cap woes.
With the season fast approaching, the Leafs are under pressure to find solutions to their cap crunch. The team has already made several moves this offseason in an attempt to create cap space, including trading defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals and buying out the contract of forward Matt Murray.
While placing Hakanpaa and Dewar on LTIR may provide the Leafs with a temporary solution, it is not a long-term fix. The team will need to continue to be creative in its approach to managing the salary cap if it wants to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Stay Updated with the Latest Toronto Maple Leafs News
Find the latest Toronto Maple Leafs news, join our fantasy hockey pool to win cash prizes, and learn what happened on this day in NHL history (October 1st) on our website. Also, find out what channel the Leafs game is on TV today. Add nhltraderumor.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletter below!
Sign up for our weekly NHL trade rumors newsletter
