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The Toronto Maple Leafs opened negotiations with some of their pending free agents this week in an attempt to gauge the cost of retaining those players going forward.
Leafs defenseman Cody Franson, forwards Mike Santorelli and Daniel Winnik are unrestricted free agents this summer and Toronto GM Dave Nonis is endeavoring to get an idea from their agents how much these players are looking for on new deals prior to the March 2nd deadline.
If the demands are out of the Leafs price range, it is probable that they will be moved before the deadline for future assets. While the time constraint makes decisions regarding these UFA’s more imperative, the contract status of restricted free agents Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Bernier poses more complex considerations for Toronto, as both players are looking for long term deals that will extend into years they will be eligible for unrestricted free agency.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported on Wednesday that the Leafs and Kadri have started contract negotiations and that Toronto’s initial offer to the 24-year-old center was in the ballpark of five years, $22.5 Million($4.5 Million AAV).
In his fifth NHL season, Kadri appears on pace to match his 2014 offensive totals of 20 goals and 30 assists, after scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in the lockout shortened 2013 season.
After the expiration of his entry-level deal, the London, ON native was looking for a five-year contract around $5 Million per season, but the Leafs did not have the cap room to accommodate that salary and wanted the young center to prove his worth in a full NHL campaign.
The two sides settled on a two-year, $5.8 Million bridge deal just before the start of training camp in September 2013.
Toronto’s five-year offer would be buying three years of unrestricted free agency and would likely escalate Kadri’s price to the $5.5 – 6 Million per season range, a price that is likely too steep for Toronto in their current cap situation and based on the center’s inconstant play throughout the term of his bridge deal.
Arbitration and a summer holdout could be in the future for the two sides, as well as an option to use Kadri in a trade. The Leafs are expected to have an organizational upheaval following another year of missing the playoffs, but trading off a player under the age of 25 with offensive skill is not at the top of their “to-do… list.
The offer floated is surely an attempt by the Leafs to find out how costly it will be to sign Kadri and whether there is more value in keeping him at a salary of their choosing or including him in a deal as part of a potential Leafs rebuild.
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Rumor Update
TSN's Darren Dreger reports that the New York Rangers may have interest in Leafs forward Mike Santorelli. The Eastern Conference champs pursued the 29-year-old forward over the summer after losing forwards Brian Boyle and Benoit Pouliot to free agency, but could not top the Leafs $1.5 Million contract offer.
New York is using rookie Kevin Hayes as their third-line center and may want Santorelli to bolster their forward depth for another playoff run.
Rumors of the Stars being in hot pursuit of injured Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul were cooled on Monday by Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. Heika indicated that the Stars do not have interest in 31-year-old winger and that in spite of lacking scoring punch on the wing, that adding the oft-injured veteran doesn't make sense for the rebuilding Stars.
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