It is a overcast and surprisingly cool July summer day in Buffalo, but as always there is news in the world of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that representatives for defenseman Cody Franson have submitted an amount of $4.2 Million for Monday's upcoming salary arbitration hearing, while the Maple Leafs have offered $2 Million(the same salary that Franson made in 2013-14).
The two sides can agree on a compromise deal prior to Monday's hearing, but once the arbitrator hears both sides, the decision will be either the player's amount or the club's amount.
As mentioned in Friday's column on the Leafs arbitration scenarios, if you take the average salary of the 10 defensemen who scored just ahead and below Franson (Jason Demers, Slava Voynov, Jason Garrison, Christian Ehrhoff, Jack Johnson, Andy Greene, Justin Faulk, Dion Phaneuf, Nick Leddy and TJ Brodie) for 2014-15, the amount is $4.018 Million, which would appear to be a factor that would lean in Franson's favor.
The Maple Leafs have the option of trading the 26-year-old blueliner prior to or after Monday or walking away from the award if Franson wins, as it the $4.2 Million is higher than the $3.5 Million minimum salary provision in the new collective bargaining agreement, but that means getting nothing in return for Franson (who has led the club in defensive scoring the past two seasons) and him becoming an unrestricted free agent.
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For those who thought the Dmitri Kulikov three-year, $13 Million contract was not an encouraging sign for the Maple Leafs being able to get Jake Gardiner locked up for a reasonable amount, the Florida defenseman’s new deal will likely have little effect on the price the Leafs end up paying for their restricted free agent blueliner.
Although both blueliners are nearly the same age(Gardiner turned 24 on July 4, Kulikov is 23), their level of experience in the NHL is vastly different.
Gardiner played three years for the University of Wisconsin before the Leafs acquired him in February, 2011 and just completed his three-year, entry-level deal with two seasons in the NHL and most of one season with the AHL Toronto Marlies.
Kulikov entered the league as an 18-year-old after being drafted 14th overall in the 2009 Draft, completed his entry-level deal and signed a two-year, $5 Million bridge deal in 2012.
In spite of the similar offensive totals the two blueliners have posted(54 points over a two-year span for Kulikov, 61 points over two seasons for Gardiner), Kulikov’s new three-year contract is locking him in for one season in which he was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent, whereas Gardiner is four years away from becoming a UFA.
It may take time for Leafs assistant GM Claude Loiselle and Gardiner’s representatives to agree on a new deal, but it will likely be closer to the $2.9 Million short-term deal that Nazem Kadri signed last summer than the $4.333 Million deal signed by Kulikov.
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