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As the Stanley Cup Playoffs are closing in on a final matchup, the teams not involved in the postseason chase are focusing in on the business of qualifying offers for restricted free agents, trying to get UFA’s signed before they can speak to other clubs, and making decisions on whether to buyout players whose contracts are crippling against the cap.
The Leafs goaltending situation will be front and center in the rumor mill over the next four or five weeks.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in a recent 32 Thoughts column that the Leafs have not had any meaningful discussions with pending free agent goalie Jack Campbell since the end of the season and chatter has indicated that the 30-year-old goalie is looking for around $5 million a year on a long-term deal. That price tag could have Toronto looking elsewhere.
The buyout window beginning July 1 could factor into the Leafs options in net. A buyout of the final two years of Petr Mrazek’s deal would result in a $1.03 million cap hit in 2022-23, $833,333 in 2023-24, and $1.43 million in 2024-25 and 2025-26, but could make GM Kyle Dubas willing to retain a portion of his salary in a potential trade.
We've been asked what a Petr Mrazek buyout would look like this off-season:
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) March 20, 2022
Cap hit breakdown:
22-23: $1.03M (2.77M in savings)
23-24: $833k (2.97M in savings)
24-25: $1.43M
25-26: $1.43M #LeafsForeverhttps://t.co/2EI6IizKD5 pic.twitter.com/xShz4IYt1f
Another option for the Leafs could be to trade Mrazek head up for Murray, which would result in a net increase of $2.45 million in salary. While there is no indication whether Ottawa would be interested in that type of exchange, it would save them $6.4 million in salary over the next two seasons.
This is educated speculation, but based on the lack of progress with Campbell and the Leafs not wanting to overpay on a new deal, they will likely be looking for as many options between now and the middle of July as possible. *******