The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently over the allowable cap room and need to make sure they clear some space before the 2026-27 season kicks off.'
While the Toronto Maple Leafs have been on a spending spree this offseason, it has certainly come at cost. In order to make room for new faces, the team has traded the likes of Joseph Woll, Simon Benoit, Nick Robertson, and Dennis Hildeby in order to open up cap and roster space for new faces like Nick Paul, Colton Sissons and Jack Roslovic.
But in doing so, the team is over the salary cap and would need to get themselves cap compliant before the regular season kicks off. There are potentially several moves that could be made to clear up some room, though first we have to take a look at how we got here.
Toronto's spending spree in free agency has led them to be over the NHL salary cap
Granted, the Maple Leafs have done well for themselves this offseason and have addressed several needs albeit still need to fill some holes in the lineup.
First, they shored up their blueline with Darren Raddysh who they acquired in a sign and trade with Tampa Bay, then were looking to make big splashes in free agency. Though they didn't get a top-six forward, they ended up reshaping the bottom-six completely while also adding Sergei Bobrovsky to the mix.
However, that cost Toronto a total of over $62-million AAV per season and while it's obvious that Toronto is trying to go all-out and win when it comes to Auston Matthews' time with the team. The multiple two-year deals and onus on improving now is going to leave the team at a deficit.
You've got a lot of money tied up in bottom-six deals and while they have completely transformed the latter half of the lineup, there are still some issues that arise. Sure, the team is solid right now but they lack one big proven playmaker in the top-six and also need to potentially find their replacement for Morgan Rielly.
Toronto still has moves to make and there are cap dumps to be made like Dakota Joshua, and the team would be able to get some relief from the Max Domi injury, but that only makes up $7-million in cap space, which does help, but it reliant on a trade and the fact Domi doesn't play this year.
Why Morgan Rielly is the most obvious trade candidate
But if the team is looking to make moves then obviously Rielly is going to be at the forefront. While not a terrible player in general, his offensive regression and defensive liabilities make him and easy casualty for opening up space.
Especially since he makes $7.5-million per year and it's hard to justify paying him that much with the results at hand. Rielly would be a great second or even third option on the offensive side, but when you have guys who are earning literally half or less than his current deal it's a hard sell.
Plus, with all the changes in the Maple Leafs organization, it wouldn't be too shocking to see Rielly moved as he's been with the team the longest, and as we've seen with long-time members of the team - it isn't a guarantee you will stick around.
The team has also been fielding offers for Rielly and while they had a good shot at dealing hi moo San Jose, they decided against it and traded for Darnell Nurse instead.. So, it's clear the team wants a deal in place but isn't really able to find a proper suitor.
With a combination of dwindling offensive stats and a propensity to be a weakness on defence, Rielly is undoubtedly the Maple Leafs' top trade candidate. The only issue is whether they can actually find a deal before the season opens up.
Do you think the Maple Leafs will be able to get under the salary cap before the season opens?
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