Now that William Nylander is re-signed, the speculation on the Toronto Maple Leafs turns to pending UFAs for the next two years. John Tavares [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAyNjczNjIzOTM1MjMxMDQ0/usatsi_21867443_168400847_lowres.jpg] John Tavares The Toronto Maple Leafs took care of an important piece of business on Monday by signing William Nylander to an eight-year, $92-million contract extension. For GM Brad Treliving, however, the work has only just begun. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun [https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/nylander-contract-done-maple-leafs-gm-treliving-has-more-work-to-do] pointed out that team captain John Tavares and winger Mitch Marner will be eligible to sign contract extensions on July 1. Both players are eligible to become UFAs on July 1, 2025. Of the two, Marner's next contract will draw the most interest among the denizens of Leafs Nation. He's earning an average annual value of $10.9 million on this current deal. Koshan speculates Marner's new cap hit will be somewhere between Nylander's $11.5 million and Auston Matthews' team-leading $13.25 million. Sportsnet's Josh Beneteau [https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/how-nylanders-extension-with-maple-leafs-impacts-marners-next-deal/] suggested it could be at $12.392 million if he got the same cap percentage (13.47) as Boston's David Pastrnak. As for Tavares, his current cap hit is $11 million. While the 33-year-old center is playing well, he's no longer at the level expected of his pay grade. In other words, he'll have to accept a substantial pay cut to remain in Toronto beyond next season. The Toronto Star [https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/trades-mitch-marners-future-for-the-maple-leafs-william-nylanders-contract-extension-is-just-the/article_61b803fc-ae6a-11ee-ad66-63c13bc25032.html]'s Kevin McGran noted that Treliving must also decide the fates of Tyler Bertuzzi, TJ Brodie and Max Domi. The threesome are slated to become UFAs on July 1 unless they sign extensions with the Leafs beforehand. With the salary cap projected to rise to $87.7 million for 2024-25 [https://www.espn.co.uk/nhl/story/_/id/39044311/nhl-salary-cap-likely-grow-877-million-source-says], the Leafs could have $21.2 million in cap space with 14 active players already under contract. There's room to retain Bertuzzi, Brodie and Domi, but it won't leave much to fill out the rest of the roster. Meanwhile, Treliving's more immediate issue is his plans for bolstering his roster leading up to the March 8 trade deadline. Koshan believes boosting the blueline remains a priority plus the Leafs could use another depth forward. Now that William Nylander is re-signed, the speculation on the Toronto Maple Leafs turns to pending UFAs for the next two years. THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTg5MzM3NTA5NzY2MjUy/my-thn-ad-banner-1500x150.jpg] THN.com/free
