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How Will The Leafs Spend Their Cap Room….And When??

July 6, 2014, 9:38 PM ET [913 Comments]
Mike Augello
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The determination of whether the Maple Leafs will be improved over last season will not fully reveal itself until they start of the regular season in October. It is uncertain whether the additions of Mike Santorelli, Petri Kontiola and Leo Komarov will have more success than Mason Raymond, Jay McClement and Dave Bolland, but one area where Leafs GM Dave Nonis may be better positioned is in cap management.

Toronto was hamstrung by their cap situation for most of the 2013-14 season, but especially at the trade deadline, where they had almost no space to add a player that could have made a difference in the final month of the regular season.

According to numerous reports, Nonis had a deal in place with the Islanders for winger Thomas Vanek, who was not going to re-sign in New York after being acquired from Buffalo in November, but the Leafs did not have the room under the cap to fit Vanek’s $5.75 Million salary.

The deal with Toronto would have entailed the Islanders paying a portion of Vanek’s contract or taking a salaried player back, which is something that Isles GM Garth Snow did not have to do in the deal that sent the pending UFA to Montreal for prospect Sebastian Collberg and a second round pick.

According to CapGeek, the Leafs have 17 players signed for $55.75 Million, leaving them $13.25 Million to re-sign five restricted free agents; forwards Peter Holland and Carter Ashton, defensemen Jake Gardiner and Cody Franson and goaltender James Reimer.

Holland, Ashton and Gardiner are coming off their entry-level deals and both sides will likely be aiming for two or three-year bridge deals. Holland has only 17 points in 68 NHL games over three seasons with the Ducks and Leafs and Ashton has just three assists in 47 career games with Toronto, which should keep the price tag on the pair of 2009 first rounders less than $1 Million per season.

Gardiner is in the same situation as teammate Nazem Kadri faced one year ago, with only the threat of a holdout to try and get more money out of the Leafs. With little leverage, the slick-skating defenseman will likely agree to a short-term deal for an amount less than $3 Million per year.

Reimer and Franson filed for salary arbitration on Saturday and may have a case for an increase of their 2013-14 salaries, but both could also be moved before the club gathers for training camp in September. The Leafs goaltender has requested a trade facing the prospect of being Jonathan Bernier’s backup for another season and the veteran blueliner appears expendable with young Petter Granberg close to being NHL ready and after being offered as part of the aborted trade for Montreal’s Josh Gorges last week.

The flexibility that Nonis has could manifest itself in another addition to the roster this summer, such as the signing of a veteran forward like Steve Ott, being able to accommodate a big salary like Colorado’s Ryan O’Reilly if the Avalanche cannot agree on a long-term deal or could give the Leafs the ability to make an addition at the trade deadline next March that they couldn’t do last season.

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The Leafs will hold their annual rookie camp starting Mon, July 7 at the MasterCard Center for Hockey Excellence in Etobicoke, ON.

The camp includes scrimmages of the club’s young prospects, including Toronto draft choices from the 2011 thru 2014 drafts and free agent invitees.

29 players will take part in the week long camp(3 goalies, 8 defensemen and 18 forwards)

G: Antoine Bibeau – 6th round 2013(QMJHL-Val D’Or)
G: Jack Flinn – Free Agent (OHL-Owen Sound)
G: Matthew Mancina – Free Agent(OHL–Guelph)

D: Tom Nilsson – 4th Round 2011(SHL-Frolunda)
D: Matt Finn – 2nd Round 2012(OHL–Guelph)
D: Viktor Loov – 7th Round 2012(SHL-Modo)
D: Rinat Valiev – 3rd Round 2014(WHL-Kootenay)
D: Dorian Saeftel – Free Agent(DEL-Mannheim)
D: Jeremie Fraser – Free Agent(QMJHL-Val D’Or)
D: Cody Donaghey – Free Agent(QMJHL-Quebec)
D: Kayle Doetzel – Free Agent(WHL-Red Deer)

F: Tony Cameranesi – 5th Round 2011(NCAA-UMD)
F: Dominic Toninato – 5th Round 2012(NCAA-UMD)
F: Connor Brown – 6th Round 2012(OHL-Erie)
F: Ryan Rupert – 6th Round 2012(OHL-London)
F: Frederik Gauthier – 1st Round 2013(QMJHL-Rimouski)
F: Carter Verhaeghe – 3rd Round 2013(OHL-Niagara)
F: Fabrice Herzog – 5th Round 2013(QMJHL-Quebec)
F: Andreas Johnson – 7th Round 2013(SHL-Frolunda)
F: William Nylander – 1st Round 2014(SHL-Modo)
F: J.J. Piccinich – 4th Round 2014(USHL-Youngstown)
F: Dakota Joshua – 5th Round 2014(USHL-Sioux Falls)
F: Nolan Vesey – 6th Round 2014(USPHL-South Shore)
F: Pierre Engvall – 7th Round 2014(Swe Jr-Frolunda)
F: Robert Carpenter – Free Agent(USHL-Sioux City)
F: Zachary Pryzbek – Free Agent(NCAA-Brown U)
F: Matt Rupert – Free Agent(OHL-London)
F: Sven Senteler – Free Agent(Swiss-A-Zurich)
F: Samuel Vigneault – Free Agent(QCHL-Andre-Laurendeau)

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Listen to my appearance of Fox Sports Radio Sunday morning with host Rocco Pendola, as we discuss the happenings in the first week of free agency in the NHL and if the Leafs have a problem getting players to come to Toronto.




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