32 year old Kyle Dubas has been busy the past couple of months. After taking the reins from now-islanders GM Lou Lamoriello, he landed the biggest fish in free agency, John Tavares. Only one problem. Tavares is getting paid 11M per year, and that leaves the Leafs with just 14M to sign Matthews, Marner and Nylander. Oh, and they also need some defense.
What I would do first if I were Kyle Dubas is give Jake Gardiner a serious pay cut next season. Maybe down to about 1.5M AAV. Then look at interior options on defense such as Travis Dermott and Justin Holl. And as for re-signing the big three, I really don’t think that Matthews could be worth more than 9M. He’s had 132 points in 144 career games, and his playoff success was limited. I think that he will sign for a contract with 9M AAV for 7 years. Then trade Patrick Marleau to a team with lots of cap space who are struggling, like Arizona or Buffalo for a second round pick. Then sign Nylander and Marner to identical 7 Year 6M cap hit. As for their defense problems, they could wait one more year, free up some cap space and go after Erik Karlsson.
So to all you Maple Leafs fans worried about the big three, the defense and your cap problems, it looks like it’s going to be OK. Leafs fans, you can exhale. But what do I know. I’m just a random 10 year old and aspiring GM.
Leave a comment and let me know how you would handle the Leafs cap situation.
See you next week,
Johnny