Confirmed with Link: [TOR/CBJ] TOR acquire Riley Nash for Conditional. 7th Pick in 2022

[67Cup]

Here’s how I understand it:

The Leafs acquired a very good defensive forward with considerable playoff experience for a negligible cost, a sixth or seventh rounder in 2022.

This has no cap implications for the remainder of the regular season. Nash can be activated for the playoffs, however, by which time he is expected to be fully recovered from his present injuries.

There are probably real dollar implications for Columbus, however. They are not a wealthy team and not having to pay Nash’s salary may have been important to them. My speculation: the real dollars salary relief may have been more important to them than the draft pick. It is also just possible that a further trade with Columbus might involve salary retention that these real dollars savings would help pay for. But that, as I say, is speculation

Putting Freddie on LTIR would provide about $5 M in cap space, but only if he stays on the LTIR the rest of the regular season. That seems an unlikely and very risky course of action unless a) the Leafs know his injury is lingering or more serious than we know (The Leafs would certainly try to hide such an injury, for obvious reasons.) Or b) If the Leafs acquire a reliable goalie before the deadline, it could be a sign Freddie will stay on LTIR.

It’s going to be an interesting weekend!

 

[Beaumaris]

It's a bit of a brain bender. Here's an example set of transactions that show how Nash is not making more cap space available to us for acquisitions:

Cap expenditure: How much salary cap hit we are spending
Cap limit: Our upper cap limit

1. Before the Nash trade, let's say we are firm up against the cap. Freddy is not on LTIR yet.

Cap expenditure: $81.5m
Cap limit: $81.5m
Free space: $0

2. We put Freddy on LTIR to make room to bring Nash in. We get $5m in relief from Freddy which puts up our limit, but our expenditure stays the same (Freddy included in our expenditure!).

Cap expenditure: $81.5m
Cap limit: $86.5m
Free space: $5m

3. We acquire Nash ($2.75m cap hit), he is on IR not LTIR. So our cap limit stays the same but he gets added to our expenditure.

Cap expenditure: $84.25m
Cap limit: $86.5m
Free space: $2.25m

4. We immediately put Nash on LTIR. This increases our cap limit, but our cap expenditure stays the same similar to when we LTIR'd Freddy. So the LTIR space that was freed up for us is effectively consumed by Riley Nash himself. We are back to exactly $5m in free space (Freddy's cap hit):

Cap expenditure: $84.25m
Cap limit: $89.25m
Free space: $5m

Furthermore, we have to plan for the fact that Freddy isn't done for the season (like 99% likely). So at some point after the trade deadline while the cap is still in effect, we have to keep that $5m available on the roster to activate him. So that $5m can't really be used for TDL acquisition purposes.

In the past we've acquired players to bring us up to as close to $81.5m as possible so that we could go into LTIR and get the maximum relief. Here is another example where we are not optimizing our relief pool. Before we signed Marner, we were sitting somewhere like $6m under the cap ceiling even with Horton on our roster, and we were going to have to use LTIR for the whole season. If we didn't acquire Clarkson, this would have happened:

1. We're in the offseason before we sign Marner

Cap expenditure: $75.5m
Cap limit: $81.5m
Free space: $6m

2. Put Horton's $5m on LTIR

Cap expenditure: $75.5m
Cap limit: $80.5m (it came down! This is because our cap hit was $75.5m when we activated LTIR. This $75.5m is now our "ACSL" -- whoops...)
Free space: $5m

So, we couldn't go into LTIR yet without seriously f***ing up our cap, we wouldn't have the space to sign Marner. So we acquired Clarkson first:

1. We're in the offseason before we sign Marner

Cap expenditure: $75.5m
Cap limit: $81.5m
Free space: $6m

2. Acquire Clarkson (say he was $6m)

Cap expenditure: $81.5m
Cap limit: $81.5m
Free space: $0

3. Put both Clarkson and Horton on LTIR (combined $11m)

Cap expenditure: $81.5m
Cap limit: $92.5m
Free space: $11m

4. Sign Marner!

So for purposes of pushing your cap expenditure as close to the salary cap as possible so as to optimize your LTIR relief pool, then acquiring LTIR contracts can help increase your cap space. But once your ACSL is optimized or you are already in LTIR, adding more LTIR contracts does not afford you more cap space.

Boring.

 

[MattySnipes]

Essentially just a 4C pickup for free (cond. 7th). Lots of experience, defence only, won't count towards cap bc he will be activated for playoffs (no cap).

Dubas is smart to pickup players like this. Huge difference than paying 2nd rd. picks.

Welcome Riley. See you in May.

 

[smitty10]

Elite defensively. Good pick up for the playoffs.

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

Boring.

yes you are

 

[Budz]

So, does he play on the 3rd or 4th line?
Do we form a shut down line of:
Mik Nash Engvall

Then have the 4th with:
Simmons Kerfoot Spezza

I also don’t see Robertson cracking this line up. Thornton too.

 

[Egghead1999]

Only 17 pages of beating this trade to death.

I'm disappointed in you HF Leafs board

17 pages but no one mention the quarantine. I am wondering when he will cross the border

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

So, does he play on the 3rd or 4th line?
Do we form a shut down line of:
Mik Nash Engvall

Then have the 4th with:
Simmons Kerfoot Spezza

I also don’t see Robertson cracking this line up. Thornton too.

IMO Kerfoot will be on wing in the playoffs. I think he's played his best games as a Leaf on wing. Engvall at 3C and Nash at 4C.

 

[Not My Tempo]

So, does he play on the 3rd or 4th line?
Do we form a shut down line of:
Mik Nash Engvall

Then have the 4th with:
Simmons Kerfoot Spezza

I also don’t see Robertson cracking this line up. Thornton too.

By all accounts it looks like we’re trading for another forward. Someone else will have to come out. Probably be Engvall, or I can even see Engvall in the trade to make sense cap wise

 

[justloveleafs]

Only 17 pages of beating this trade to death.

I'm disappointed in you HF Leafs board

Lot of discussion for sure. But I think everyone is going to themselves, wow, what a cool move. I remember Riley Nash when he was part of the Bruins team that broke our hearts in seven.

Real nice playoff hockey player. Gritty as well. Isn't that a bit of what we have lacked in past seasons?

So, yes a lot of discourse, however, its so much better than giving up a third or fourth round pick. Or gulp, a valuable second rounder.

Heads up play by Dubas and Pridham. Keep them coming.

Good posts people. Lot of potential Gm's and scouts here.

 

[Mr Knies Guy]

17 pages but no one mention the quarantine. I am wondering when he will cross the border

Because it doesn't matter - he's injured until playoff time, so even if quarantine were still 14 days, it's moot.

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

So, does he play on the 3rd or 4th line?
Do we form a shut down line of:
Mik Nash Engvall

Then have the 4th with:
Simmons Kerfoot Spezza

I also don’t see Robertson cracking this line up. Thornton too.

We're going to start seeing some players get tested for a playoff run now that we aren't pinching to accrue cap space. I'd be surprised if we don't see Robertson and Liljegren get a chance to make their case.

Previously Leafs have been forcing a very lean 20-man roster, avoiding healthy-scratching anyone they would otherwise have to waive to send to the taxi squad. Now that we've activated LTIR, we can carry 21 man rosters, and more while Andersen is still out. So we could see guys like Thornton, Simmonds, Dermott, Bogosian get a healthy scratch here and there to give some others guys an opportunity to show their progress and give them some NHL pay.

 

[BertCorbeau]

So, does he play on the 3rd or 4th line?
Do we form a shut down line of:
Mik Nash Engvall

Then have the 4th with:
Simmons Kerfoot Spezza

I also don’t see Robertson cracking this line up. Thornton too.

I think he's the 13th forward right now .. Can't see them sitting Thornton. But we will see how the deadline shakes out if Engvall or Kerfoot are moved. If the Leafs are moving any roster players, it's those two. But adding another roster player still puts him in the press box.

If he does play, it likely will not be on a line with both Spezza and Thornton. Not enough speed.

Probably plays with a mix of Kerfoot, Engvall, Mikheyev, and/or Simmonds

 

[Ciao]

Yeah I think we just basically got Nash for free... so were in the same spot as we have been but with a depth 4C if needed.

Pretty much.

I think of Riley Nash filling a Travis-Boyd-type role, but much, much better at everything than Travis Boyd.

It's the difference between a fringe NHL-AHL tweener and an established bona fide NHL player. Boyd would have been a welcome addition to a playoff roster, and Nash much more so.

 

[Ciao]

Essentially just a 4C pickup for free (cond. 7th). Lots of experience, defence only, won't count towards cap bc he will be activated for playoffs (no cap).

Dubas is smart to pickup players like this. Huge difference than paying 2nd rd. picks.

Welcome Riley. See you in May.

Much better strategy than a second for the Habs dude who wore turtlenecks and then retired after doing next to nothing for the Leafs. Plekanec?

 

[justloveleafs]

Hard to believe he was once a professional hockey player. That he once scored 40 goals in NHL
Joking aside though, he was a very good finisher

I was in Yorkville when he was with the Leafs, having a drink and I looked up and saw a pudgy guy sitting right across from me.

I recognized him after a few seconds, it was O'Neil. Struck up a generic chat, but just couldn't help myself, and went into everything and anything Leaf.

He was cool, cause a lot of the guys want a break away from the ice. I could tell he was an intelligent guy, that could go places after the game.

Who knows, maybe he was thinking even then of his post career.

But yes, he was heavy even then. But very bright. His brand, now is the look he has, he might not seem the guy some love, other hate, if he were to suddenly drop thirty pounds.

And yes, I know,what the heck does this have to do with Riley Nash. I will, in advance say, precious little.

 

[Egghead1999]

Because it doesn't matter - he's injured until playoff time, so even if quarantine were still 14 days, it's moot.

Yes, we all know he will only play in the playoff because of the cap, and there is 7 days quarantine. Leafs can only REALLY check on his injury after the quarantine over.

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

Yes, we all know he will only play in the playoff because of the cap, and there is 7 days quarantine. Leafs can only REALLY check on his injury after the quarantine over.

It's not like teams fly trade prospects to their city to give them a physical before trades normally. There was likely an exchange of x-rays and notes between medical teams to assess his condition, like usual.

 

[Macallan18]

17 pages but no one mention the quarantine. I am wondering when he will cross the border

Hahaha he is out for weeks with his injury so not an issue

 

[Clark4Ever]

All cap circumvention brilliance aside, Nash is going to be a significant addition to the team in the playoffs. He provides exactly what we've been lacking in our centre depth.

 

[kevsh]

Does Keefe really want to throw a guy into a playoff game who hasn't played in weeks and hasn't dressed for a single game as a Leaf? I get what Nash adds but if they want him to play a role in the playoffs I'd think they'd want to give him a few games at least before the season ends. Putting him in once the playoffs start would also mean sitting someone who has helped the Leafs get to this point all season.

Perhaps he's simply insurance in case of an injury (ideally, if at all) to a bottom 6 player once the playoffs start, but if Nash is in the lineup game 1, assuming everyone is healthy, who is Sheldon going to sit? Joe would be the obvious choice based on his play ... but given he was brought in to be a locker room presence more so than an on-ice one, and clearly how popular and respected he is among teammates, that's a bold move.

 

[Mattavarner]

Could we do the same with Boone Jenner? Projected to be out around the same time

 

[LeafsandSharksfan]

Been in a coma since 2011, did we finally get Nash out of Columbus?

 

[PuckMagi]

While we don't "gain" cap space by trading for him... he isn't counting against the cap because he's on LTIR.

He can play for us in the playoffs and it doesn't really change our cap situation.

 

[Twowingcantfly]

The obvious line for Nash is Tavares' line. This guy is a bruiser, with good offensive, cycling ability. Forget ancient shut down line talk. Every line, needs to score as well as shut down, and play through the abuse that is the NHL playoffs.