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The name of Toronto Maple Leafs center Tyler Bozak continues to pop up in connection with the New York Rangers, who are looking for veteran depth up the middle after dealing Derek Stepan to Arizona prior to the NHL Draft last month.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post indicated in his column on Thursday that for the Rangers to fit Bozak’s $4.2 Million salary under the cap, New York would likely have to use the second buyout window to clear out a significant salary like defenseman Marc Staal.
The buyout window, made available by a player going to salary arbitration, expires on Thursday.
Brooks continues to mention the name of 30-year-old defenseman Nick Holden (along with a draft pick) in a deal for Bozak, but the Toronto Star’s
Kevin McGran reported earlier in the month that the Leafs have no interest in the Rangers blueliner.
Holden led New York blueliners with a career-high 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) last season and has a year remaining on his deal at $1.65 Million, but his performance tailed off in the second half and would not be a significant upgrade over Connor Carrick or veteran Ron Hainsey as a top-four defensive option.
Bozak had a career-high 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) last season playing behind Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri.
The Leafs are slightly under $4 Million over the summer salary cap and have just over $3 Million in available space to get RFA Connor Brown signed to a new deal. The Leafs could be looking to move the 31-year-old entering the final year of his contract, but only if they acquire a defenseman capable of upgrading their blueline or to open up cap space.
With the news that Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov is playing in the KHL next season, there is not a free agent blueliner available that would improve Toronto significantly on the back end.
Dealing Bozak would make Toronto thin up the middle and necessitate moving sophomore William Nylander to center, something that head coach Mike Babcock indicated he would not do at the end of last season.
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The winner of possibly the worst kept secret of the summer is 2017 Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher, Will Butcher, who announced on Wednesday that he will head to the open market as an unrestricted free agent next month.
“We informed the Avalanche of that decision,” Agent Brian Bartlett reporter
Adrian Dater on Wednesday. “We appreciate what Colorado has done, and we’re not ruling out the Avalanche as a potential destination. But we just feel there will be other opportunities that should be explored too, and therefore we’re going (to the 15th).”
Butcher has not received the fanfare that Jimmy Vesey did last summer, but the University of Denver product is an attractive option for a club looking to bolster their defense at the price of a two-year entry-level contract.
The Leafs have connections to Denver with the signing of forward Trevor Moore last summer and DU alum Bozak still on the squad.
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