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Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving held court after the NHL Draft on Thursday to discuss the state of his club and the mountain of decisions in front of him and his staff over the next couple weeks. Treliving not only has to juggle negotiating with some of the 10 unrestricted free agents, and trying to get extensions for Auston Matthews and William Nylander, but also had to make a decision on whether to buyout goalie Matt Murray.
After my question in Nashville, Treliving clarified the situation saying that the two-time Stanley Cup winner would not be bought out before today’s 12 Noon deadline, but that did not mean that he would not be bought out later this summer.
Murray has a year left on his current deal at $4.687 million. Had he been bought out, the Leafs would have cleared $4 million this season. Ilya Samsonov is a restricted free agent and is likely to be given a qualifying offer on Friday and will be heading to arbitration later this summer. A second buyout window will be opened for a few days after a contract agreement or settlement, so if Toronto re-signs Samsonov, they could then buy out Murray.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provided some interesting tidbits on his daily spot on FAN 590 on Friday:
1. The Leafs might be in on former Wings and Bruins winger Tyler Bertuzzi, who is looking for a deal with term in free agency.
Analysis - Bertuzzi has been linked to the Leafs for years, and reportedly they nearly acquired him prior to the pandemic. This would make sense for Treliving, who is looking to make Toronto tougher to play against and could be a move to make if Nylander does not modify his asking price on a new deal.
2. There was a mention of the Leafs being interested in Ryan Reaves
Analysis - The 36-year-old is an unrestricted free agent after splitting time between New York and Minnesota. Reaves is one of the last true enforcers in the league and still makes an impact when things get rough and tumble, but the amount he is signed for on a one-year deal is the big factor.
3. Schenn, Acciari, O’Reilly talks - Leafs are still interested in all of them, Toronto has no problem giving Schenn term and no trade protection, but increased interest has elevated his asking price.
Analysis - If Schenn is getting offers for more than $2 million per season, than he has to take it. My spidey senses tell me that the Leafs are offering a two-year deal in between what Conor Timmins and Timothy Liljegren are making. The signing of David Kampf and Pontus Holmberg may have closed the door on Acciari coming back. O’Reilly is one of the better forwards in a weak free-agent crop, but could be enticed with a deal with term.
From Pierre LeBrun’s column in the Athletic on Thursday regarding the negotiations with Nylander, there is a sizable gap between the price he is asking for and what the Leafs can live with on an extension. LeBrun believes there is a sense that Toronto will keep hammering away at in hopes to getting an extension.
Analysis - If you think Nylander’s camp will be reasonable and take a team-friendly deal, you are dreaming in technicolor. Unless there is a dramatic departure from what happened in 2018, there will be no give on the part of agent Lewis Gross and my suspicion is that he will be traded before the start of the season.
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