Scott Malkinson
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2017
- 1,135
- 808
Right now, the cap situation is under control. In the next two or three years, Maple Leafs management will have to make decisions on certain depth players that will be up for significant raises.
It looks like they'll look to spend big money on the core and secondary players will be replaced internally through developed young players or European/NCAA free agents.
The core consists of:
Auston Matthews
John Tavares
Mitch Marner
William Nylander
Morgan Rielly
Frederik Andersen
The secondary players are:
Jake Gardiner (UFA 2019) - $4.05M
Connor Brown (RFA 2020) - $2.10M
Zach Hyman (UFA 2021) - $2.25M
*Nazem Kadri (UFA 2022) - $4.50M
*Nikita Zaitsev (UFA 2024) - $4.50M
Two younger players that will be coming off their entry level contracts are Kasperi Kapanen and Travis Dermott. Their second contracts should be manageable and not an issue until at least the summer of 2021. Both should get between $1.5M to $3M, on their second contracts, depending on their play over the next season or two.
Nazem Kadri is under control at $4.5M for another four seasons. Which is great value for the player but is paying $4.5M for your 3rd line centre a good financial decision? Some fans consider Kadri as a core player but given the Matthews + Tavares combo on the top two lines, does it eventually make Kadri an expendable player, when he has a year or two left on that team friendly contract?
That Nikita Zaitsev contract term is not ideal but his actual cap hit is good value for what he is as a player. He turns 27 years old in October and will be 32 years old when that contract expires. There are comparable players that make significantly more than $4.5M and are signed past the age of 31 or 32. I think as the cap goes up and that term goes down, Zaitsev will be on a team friendly contract and he becomes a moveable asset, barring any unforseen injuries or regression.
Matt Niskanen - $5.75M until age 34
Marc Staal - $5.7M until age 34
Jeff Petry - $5.5M until age 34
Andrej Sekera - $5.5M until age 35
Nick Leddy - $5.5M until age 31
Alex Goligoski - $5.475M until age 36
Dmitry Orlov - $5.1M until age 32
Danny DeKeyser - $5M until age 32
Karl Alzner - $4.625M until age 34
I think at this point, Jake Gardiner, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman are the next three contracts that will have to be addressed between now and 2021. Brown and Hyman are Babcock favourites but I don't think giving them $4M+ each is a good idea.
Who do you view as expendable players, in two or three years, if the salary cap situation gets tight?
It looks like they'll look to spend big money on the core and secondary players will be replaced internally through developed young players or European/NCAA free agents.
The core consists of:
Auston Matthews
John Tavares
Mitch Marner
William Nylander
Morgan Rielly
Frederik Andersen
The secondary players are:
Jake Gardiner (UFA 2019) - $4.05M
Connor Brown (RFA 2020) - $2.10M
Zach Hyman (UFA 2021) - $2.25M
*Nazem Kadri (UFA 2022) - $4.50M
*Nikita Zaitsev (UFA 2024) - $4.50M
Two younger players that will be coming off their entry level contracts are Kasperi Kapanen and Travis Dermott. Their second contracts should be manageable and not an issue until at least the summer of 2021. Both should get between $1.5M to $3M, on their second contracts, depending on their play over the next season or two.
Nazem Kadri is under control at $4.5M for another four seasons. Which is great value for the player but is paying $4.5M for your 3rd line centre a good financial decision? Some fans consider Kadri as a core player but given the Matthews + Tavares combo on the top two lines, does it eventually make Kadri an expendable player, when he has a year or two left on that team friendly contract?
That Nikita Zaitsev contract term is not ideal but his actual cap hit is good value for what he is as a player. He turns 27 years old in October and will be 32 years old when that contract expires. There are comparable players that make significantly more than $4.5M and are signed past the age of 31 or 32. I think as the cap goes up and that term goes down, Zaitsev will be on a team friendly contract and he becomes a moveable asset, barring any unforseen injuries or regression.
Matt Niskanen - $5.75M until age 34
Marc Staal - $5.7M until age 34
Jeff Petry - $5.5M until age 34
Andrej Sekera - $5.5M until age 35
Nick Leddy - $5.5M until age 31
Alex Goligoski - $5.475M until age 36
Dmitry Orlov - $5.1M until age 32
Danny DeKeyser - $5M until age 32
Karl Alzner - $4.625M until age 34
I think at this point, Jake Gardiner, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman are the next three contracts that will have to be addressed between now and 2021. Brown and Hyman are Babcock favourites but I don't think giving them $4M+ each is a good idea.
Who do you view as expendable players, in two or three years, if the salary cap situation gets tight?