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With the end of their development camp last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs may be ready to shift into summer mode and await the beginning of training camp, but the club could still be poised to make some moves over the next six or seven weeks.
Toronto currently has 48 players on NHL contracts (leaving only two slots remaining under the 50-contract league limit) and is currently about $1.5 million over the salary cap, but Cap Friendly has the Leafs carrying 22 players, and last season they went with 20 or 21 for cap management purposes.
The contract impasse with Rasmus Sandin seems to be more about the 22-year-old’s role with the club and not the money he will earn. Reports indicate that the Leafs are offering the same contract to the 2018 first-rounder (2 years x $1.4 million AAV) that they signed 2017 top pick Timothy Liljegren to, but with Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and Mark Giordano slated to play the left side, it leaves Sandin playing his off-side or being the seventh blueliner if GM Kyle Dubas chooses not to move Justin Holl.
The odds of Sandin being traded are slim and the odds of an offer sheet even slimmer, which means that something has to give to create room to get the young defenseman signed.
It is understandable that Sandin would want to place himself in the best possible position to have some success and set himself up for a future payday. That would be less likely if he is playing only if one of the three lefty vets are injured.
The Leafs would seem to be played out when it comes to moves up front after adding Calle Jarnkrok, Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Adam Gaudette, and re-signing Pierre Engvall. None of them are likely to play in the top six, which means that Dubas will either keep Alex Kerfoot or has confidence that Nick Robertson or a prospect like Pontus Holmberg could effectively fill his spot.
Prospect Matthew Knies indicated last week that he was not ready for the NHL after his freshman season at the University of Minnesota. The Leafs may think that the big winger will be more prepared to make the jump after playing in the World Junior next month and another full year in the NCAA, but it is a lot to risk going into the season depending on the maturation of a promising 19-year-old.
One thing that Dubas may explore in the coming weeks is offering veterans professional tryouts since they do not count against the cap or the contract limit. There are still players out there that could conceivably fill a valuable role.
Toronto native PK Subban is still unsigned, by the 33-year-old may see the muddled picture on the Leafs defense corps and come to the same conclusion as Sandin, but Subban is a righty that could slot in if Dubas chooses to move Holl for cap reasons.
Up front, the return of former Leaf Phil Kessel is unlikely, but the likes of Paul Stastny (21 goals with Winnipeg), Evan Rodrigues, Zach Aston-Reese, Tyler Motte, or Danton Heinen being added could be possible with players scrambling to find a landing spot.
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Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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