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Dubas searching for cost certainty before deadline; Leafs vs. Devils

December 18, 2018, 6:19 PM ET [558 Comments]
Mike Augello
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Kyle Dubas clarified a number of issues that are front and center regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs at a media availability on Monday, but the Leafs GM revealed more of what he hopes to do in an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, including trying to get both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner signed to extensions in advance of the NHL trade deadline.

“If we have some certainty or some relative certainty about where the contracts for Auston and Mitch are going to come in, and we have more certainty at that time for where the salary cap will be for next season, we may be able to add players that are more than just rentals.” Dubas said.

The Leafs have close to $6 Million in available cap space open to add players, which could be used to bolster their defense and add some size up front for a potential Stanley Cup run, but the Leafs GM is looking to address these areas for more than just the short term.

“I don’t really look and see many pure rentals that really change the dynamic of our group. So anything that we’d be looking at would be players that probably have some term.” Dubas said. “That’s why it’s important for us to continue to work on those agreements with Auston and Mitch so we can have some cost certainty with them, so that we can look to improve our team this season and beyond.”

While not ruling out adding players in the final year of their contracts, Dubas recognizes that the cost of rentals is prohibitive and that his club needs someone who can improve the blueline this year and replace Ron Hainsey and Jake Gardiner, both who are unlikely to be back.

The top defensive candidates with expiring contracts are Erik Karlsson, Tyler Myers and Anton Stralman, who all play for teams considered legitimate contenders, which means they will not be dealt. The majority of the others of the 2019 free agent class are veterans (Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Edler, Marc Methot, Niklas Kronwall and Adam McQuaid) who may not be capable of playing anything more than a bottom pairing role and not provide any significant upgrade.

If Toronto has to deal youngsters like Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson or their first round pick in 2019 or 2020 to get a top four defenseman such as Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko, Brett Pesce or Justin Faulk, it is better asset management to deal for someone who can be around longer and provide cost certainty for the Leafs past this season.

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The Leafs will complete their five-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark on Tuesday. Toronto has struggled recently, losing three of the last four games against Boston, Tampa Bay and Florida and are looking for two points to put them back into second place in the Atlantic Division.

Head coach Mike Babcock will stick with the same lineup, line combinations and defensive pairings that played against the Panthers, and Frederik Andersen will start his fifth game in a row.

Keith Kinkaid (11-8-6, 2.88 GAA, .906 save %) will get the start in goal for New Jersey, who is one point ahead of the last place Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference. Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall missed the last two games with a lower body injury, but will make his return to the lineup against the Leafs.


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