A number of NHL teams made decisions regarding their rosters on Friday, including cutting a few recognizable names with significant salaries.
The cap-strapped Chicago Blackhawks placed Bryan Bickell on waivers after failing to trade the winger who makes $4 Million a year the next two seasons, while the Ottawa Senators (nowhere close to the cap limit) did the same with forward Colin Greening with two years and just under $6 Million left on his contract.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are not expected to place veterans like Joffrey Lupul or Stephane Robidas on waivers and based on who makes the projected 23-man roster, the Leafs will start the season with anywhere from $500,000 to $1.5 Million in cap room.
In spite of the perception that the club is up against the cap, Toronto actually has a great deal of flexibility because of Nathan Horton being eligible to be moved onto LTIR. The injured winger acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last March failed his physical at the start of training camp and can be placed on long-term injury if the Leafs need to exceed the $71.4 Million limit.
The rest of the league (including Toronto) will likely pass on claiming either Bickell or Greening, as any team doing so would assume responsibility for 100% of the remaining contract, sacrificing cap flexibility at the start of the regular season that they may need to make add to their roster at the trade deadline.
The Leafs have already given themselves some options by moving five pro contracts to the New York Islanders for oft-injured winger Michael Grabner.
Grabner earns $5 Million in the last year of his contract (with a $3 Million cap hit) but what the trade sacrificed in cap room, it provided Toronto more maneuverability under the 50-contract limit. The Leafs are expected to be active in the trade market with numerous players on expiring contracts and could dip into the college free agent market as they did last April for winger Casey Bailey.
Trades and signings require flexibility on the cap and with the roster and those factors could be a greater concern for Toronto management than wins and losses this season.
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The description of the transition the Maple Leafs organization has been called many things. Head coach Mike Babcock referred to it as a painful process, while others talked about culture change, but the reference Team President Brendan Shanahan and Lou Lamoriello do not choose to utter is the word “rebuild”.
The Leafs GM expanded on his hesitancy of using the dreaded R-word in an interview with
ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.
“I didn't use the word rebuild.” Lamoriello said. “I said that you might not get the results that you want right away. But you never look at it like teardown and buildup. I've never believed in that. Whenever people say that, I cringe in what they're saying, what that means. You rebuild a home when you take it to the bottom. You might renovate it, you might change some things. ... So I look at it, you see what the foundation is, and have the right approach of when you bring young people in that environment.”
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Leafs projected lineup in Detroit, courtesy of
TSN’s Jonas Siegel
Forward:
Van Riemsdyk-Kadri-Winnik
Matthias-Bozak-Lupul
Komarov-Holland-Hyman
Panik-Arcobello-Kapanen
Defense:
Phaneuf-Robidas
Rielly-Polak
Gardiner-Marincin
Goalie:
Reimer
Sparks
See Previous Columns
Zajac Staying Put, Roster Decisions & Flying Under The Radar
Leafs Showing Similarities, Struggles With Transition
More Competitive Under Babcock, Campbell Signed; Leafs Vs Sabres
Leafs Release Fraser, Signs With Sens, Radio Ruination (Update)
Leafs Sign Boyes, Release Setoguchi, Glencross, Send Marner Back To Junior
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