After signing both Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, the Maple Leafs now find themselves nearly $9M over the salary cap, per CapFriendly. Even with the LTIR allowance for Jake Muzzin, they’re still more than $3M over that ceiling. Accordingly, there is an expectation that they will need to move out goaltender Matt Murray. To that end, in his latest post for NorthStar Bets, Chris Johnston notes that Toronto’s preference at this point is to try to trade Murray over using the second buyout window, a move that would open up $4M in cap space in 2023-24 but add $2M in dead cap charges in 2024-25. Considering they have pricey extensions on the horizon for Auston Matthews and William Nylander, having dead-cap charges on the books won’t help.
The Maple Leafs will get a second buyout window if an arbitration-eligible player files for arbitration. That would be RFA Ilya Samsonov, so expect him to be one of many players filing for arbitration by Thursday’s deadline. But that’s Plan B for them. For now, GM Brad Treliving will be shopping around to see who’s willing to take on that contract and just how much it will cost in an incentive to do so.
Elsewhere in the East:
- When Detroit waived Filip Zadina the move came as a surprise. However, GM Steve Yzerman told reporters that the youngster had requested a trade a couple of weeks prior to the draft, via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Clearly, that didn’t materialize and after he cleared Tuesday, it’s back to the drawing board on that front. Zadina has two years left on a contract that carries a $1.825M AAV, and it appears that the Red Wings will need to pay some of that down or take a similar contract back if they want to move him. Alternatively, the fact he cleared now suggests they could waive him in training camp, saving $1.15M in cap room in the process for any time that he’s in the minors.
- Flyers prospect Yegor Zamula is on the move…in the KHL. The Torpedo announced that they’ve acquired his KHL rights from SKA St. Petersburg. The 23-year-old split last season between Philadelphia and AHL Lehigh Valley. With the Flyers, Zamula had four assists in 14 games while logging a little over 13 minutes per night. However, he was more productive with the Phantoms, notching 19 points in 44 contests. Zamula is already under contract for the upcoming season on a one-way deal worth the NHL minimum. Coyotes unsigned prospect Ilya Fedotov was also part of the four-player swap.
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