The Maple Leafs embark on their final two games of the exhibition schedule against the Detroit Red Wings, their old Norris Division/new Atlantic Division rival and opponent in the 2014 Winter Classic on New Year’s Day at the University of Michigan’s “Big House”.
Defenseman Cody Franson, who signed a one-year, $2 Million contract early Thursday morning, was paired with old defense partner Mark Fraser in his first practice with the club at the MasterCard Center and is expected to play both of the weekend’s home-and-home series to get up to speed for the season opener in Montreal next Tuesday.
The Leafs have to make at least eight roster decisions by the end of the weekend to get to the 23 man roster limit for the start of the season, but many clubs are expected to keep 20 or 21 players to stay under the $64.3 Million salary cap.
The return of Franson further clouds the picture when it comes to the Leafs blueline. According to Toronto Asst. GM Claude Loiselle who appeared on Sportsnet FAN 590’s Prime Time Sports Thursday afternoon, the club expects to keep seven defensemen up during the season.
Franson, Fraser, Dion Phaneuf, Carl Gunnarsson, Jake Gardiner and veteran Paul Ranger look to be locks to make the team, while the disposition of rookie Morgan Rielly, veteran John-Michael Liles, Korbinian Holzer and free agent addition TJ Brennan are in question.
Observers including TSN’s Bob MacKenzie believe that the Leafs will keep the former fifth overall selection for at least nine regular season games to give the 19-year-old a longer look and more exposure to the professional game. If that is the case, then Holzer, Brennan and Liles would all have to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL Toronto Marlies.
If the Leafs do not find a taker for the 32-year-old blueliner in a trade and choose to send him down, they would get $925,000 in cap relief on Liles’ $3.875 Million salary, which equals the same amount as Rielly’s base salary. According to Leafs Asst. GM Dave Poulin, the young defenseman’s bonuses do not count against the cap unless they are reached and even then would count against the cap for 2014-15, which means that the cap hit for Liles or Rielly would be a wash.
All of Holzer($787,500) and Brennan’s($600,000) salary would not count against Toronto’s salary cap if they clear waivers, but their low salary might be attractive to another NHL team with a similar fiscal crunch.
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The long range picture on the Leafs blueline may not include team captain Dion Phaneuf, as Franson’s one-year deal adds to the number of free agents at the end of the 2013-14 season. Franson will be an RFA with arbitration rights, Gardiner will be an RFA at the end of his entry-level deal, while Phaneuf, Ranger and Fraser will all be unrestricted free agents.
According to veteran hockey reporter Howard Berger , it’s looking more like Phaneuf will be a victim of the salary cap if he expects to make anywhere close to his current $6.5 Million salary on a new deal. The Leafs appear to be going down the road where Franson(who indicated in comments after reaching a deal on Thursday that he wants to sign a long term extension with Toronto), Gardiner and Rielly would be the core of the club’s defense for the rest of the decade and have to extend leading scorer Phil Kessel before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next July.
Signing the team captain to a long term deal for more than $5 Million per season would allocate too much of a percentage of the cap towards the blueline, something that the Leafs experienced in the past and should avoid in the future.
Remember McCabe, Kaberle and Kubina totaling $15 Million in salary a few years back??
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Here is the lineup for the Leafs tonight in Detroit, as per Paul Hendrick of Leafs TV:
FORWARDS
James van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – David Clarkson
David Broll – Nazem Kadri – Mason Raymond
Joffrey Lupul – Dave Bolland – Nikolai Kulemin
Carter Ashton – Jay McClement – Colton Orr
DEFENSE
Dion Phaneuf – Carl Gunnarsson
Mark Fraser – Paul Ranger
Jake Gardiner - Cody Franson
GOALIES
Jonathan Bernier
Drew MacIntyre
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Here is my interview this morning with former Leafs Asst. GM Bill Watters, discussing the signing of Cody Franson, the roster decisions on Morgan Rielly and Paul Ranger, the goaltending battle between Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer and his prediction for this season:
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