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The Toronto Maple Leafs are doing the groundwork in advance of the beginning of July, when trades and negotiations will be made before, during, and after the NHL Draft and the beginning of free agency. The Leafs situation in goal undoubtedly will be front and center, and as we have chronicled last week, GM Kyle Dubas has a variety of different options.
The Athletic’s
Pierre LeBrun reported on Friday that Toronto has had an ongoing dialogue with goalie Jack Campbell’s agent Kurt Overhardt, but that no numbers have been exchanged.
The Fourth Period’s
David Pagnotta reported that St. Louis goalie Ville Husso will hit the open market on July 13 and that in free agency he will probably draw offers of three to four years in the range of $3 - 4 million, and that the Leafs will target the 27-year-old if they lose out on Campbell.
As has widely been rumored since the end of the season, Toronto would like to bring Campbell back but based on their cap situation and perhaps some uncertainty that he can be a dependable #1, they are only willing to go so far on AAV and term in a new deal.
Dubas could be in a situation where he has told Campbell’s camp to see what is out there in terms of offers and come back to them. Based on the market for goalies this summer, teams like Edmonton and New Jersey could be prepared to offer in excess of $5 million per season for the 30-year-old. An offer that Toronto would likely not match.
The reported price of Husso on a new deal is more in the range of what the Leafs are looking for, but the relative inexperience of the young Finn raises red flags, especially in a big media market like Toronto.
The first move that Dubas may make could be to buyout veteran Petr Mrazek on July 1. If the Leafs choose to go that route on the 30-year-old Czech, they would clear $2.7 million in cap space next season and $3 million in 2023-24, but would have a carryover of $1.43 million on the cap in 2024-25 and 2025-26.
If that happens, the Leafs may be again looking for a veteran (perhaps a Cup winner like Braden Holtby or Matt Murray) to backup Campbell or Husso.
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