The Toronto Maple Leafs may not be done making moves this summer. As if the signings and trades haven’t been enough, it seems Toronto may have a couple of more surprising transactions coming down the pipeline.
This time, a mysterious UFA forward seems to be holding their breath in hopes that the Maple Leafs can clear enough cap space to go through with the transaction.
The rumor by no means comes from the “accredited” insiders. As such, it’s worth taking with a grain of salt. The reason this thesis is catching some attention is that it’s in line with what the Maple Leafs are trying to do this offseason.
So, the big question is: Who could this mystery forward be?
One idea posits that it could be Eeli Tolvanen or Anthony Mantha.
Indeed, both players remain unsigned as of this writing. Both forwards fit with the ethos that John Chayka is pursuing for the club. The team needed scoring last season, and it didn’t get it from the depth forwards on the roster.
That’s why both Mantha and Tolvanen make sense. Mantha, in particular, is coming off a 30-goal season. While that may seem like an outlier at this point, the Maple Leafs can hope he’s ready for a breakout playing in Toronto.
Meanwhile, Tolvanen could be the sort of middle-six forward who could provide 20+ goals while playing a bit more of a responsible defensive role. If just one of these forwards landed in Toronto, the Maple Leafs would need to clear cap space to make it happen.
Maple Leafs Need to Clear Cap Space This Summer
The likelihood of signing someone like Mantha or Tolvanen, or both, depends on cap space. As such, the Maple Leafs will need to get creative to make it happen.
One possibility is figuring out what will happen with Max Domi. Domi’s unfortunate surgical ordeal has put his future in question. At this point, it seems like the 31-year-old could miss the beginning of the season.
But if he should miss a prolonged period, the Maple Leafs could use LTIR money to add another $3.75 million to the cap.
Then, there’s always the possibility of dumping a couple of contracts. That might be a bit more challenging to do.
Dakota Joshua comes to mind. Moving his $3.25 million would help alleviate matters. So, trading Joshua and placing Domi on LTIR would free up over $7 million in cap space.
That could be enough to land someone like Mantha and potentially have enough room for another depth forward or defenseman. The moves, nonetheless, seem somewhat unlikely.
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Toronto Might Not Have Enough Cap Space to Make Major Additions
At this point, the Maple Leafs’ ability to add more pieces boils down to cap space. It’s worth noting that trading Morgan Rielly and his $7.5 million is always an option. But that would leave a hole on the blue line, unless the plan involves replacing him somehow.
That’s why, if something like this rumor were to come to fruition, it would likely involve just one forward. And it may come down to choosing which forward might be the most cost-effective for cap purposes.
If that were the case, Tolvanen would be the winner. He’s coming off a $3.475 million cap hit this past season. The Maple Leafs could well land him for around $4.5 million on a two-year deal. Mantha, for his part, could price himself out of contention. While he’s coming off a $2.5 million cap hit, the talk is that he’s seeking at least double that.
Maple Leafs fans shouldn’t discount Chyka from pulling off one more signing before the beginning of training camp. Perhaps he’s just waiting out UFAs, hoping they’ll come down from their asking prices as the summer wears on.
Maple Leafs Mystery UFA Waiting for Enough Cap Space to Sign