Maple Leafs linked to potential Dougie Hamilton cap dump scenario

With all the discussion around Dougie Hamilton and where he may end up in a potential trade, the Toronto Maple Leafs are front and center when it comes to acquiring him although it might be a little difficult to pull it off.

With a lack of real needle-moving assets and a minimal amount of cap space, it's going to take a lot of creativity (and perhaps some salary retention) in order to get it done.

Or they may just be in luck if a new report has any traction.

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Maple Leafs could find themselves the beneficiaries of a cap dump where New Jersey wants to get rid of as much money as possible, and Toronto could save on assets:

Although it should be noted that this discussion did not involve any type of salary retention so it's unknown if New Jersey would be happy with a partial cap dump or if they want the full $9-million off their books.

But if the report from Seravalli is to be believed, then the Maple Leafs would be able to move out some money while also keeping their important pieces around.

First off, shut down Chris Tanev for the year. There's no point in hoping for him to come back and it's unknown if he will even be 100% by the time the playoffs roll around. That opens up some space right away.

Then they need to get rid of some dead weight like Calle Jarnkrok, Matt Benning, Philippe Myers, and Simon Benoit.

Toronto has more than enough depth at the AHL level to replace those players and they will all be considerably cheaper to utilize. Names like Jacob Quillan, Alex Nylander and William Villeneuve are all fringe NHL players who could get a lot more experience with some open lineup spots.

Although unlikely now given his fit in the lineup and on the power-play, Matias Maccelli may also be in play which would give Toronto another $3.5+ million to work with.

That being said, here's how a potential deal could work with Toronto and New Jersey:

To Toronto:

(D) Dougie Hamilton (30% retention)

To New Jersey:

(F) Calle Jarnkrok
(D) Simon Benoit
(D) Philippe Myers
2026 Third-Round Pick

You open up a lot of room with dishing off the trio of depth players which works out to about $4.2-million in savings. Coupled with Tanev's LTIR relief of around $3.6-million and some retention; Hamilton fits right in.

While that's certainly not a perfect trade by any stretch, if the Devils are truly hellbent on making sure they get Dougie's dollars off their books then they might be willing to take a hit to do so.

Which is music to Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs' ears because right now, they need as much help as they can get to make a move.

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