DENVER — The Toronto Maple Leafs navigated a complex salary cap puzzle at the NHL trade deadline, making a series of strategic moves to bolster their roster. Although divisional rivals like the Florida Panthers were blessed with cap space due to the injury to star forward Matthew Tkachuk, the Leafs were left with no choice but to get help in other ways.
The Leafs took on $1.5 million salary cap charge when they acquired veteran forward Scott Laughton in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. They also negotiated with the Boston Bruins to retain 15 percent of Brandon Carlo's $4.1 million cap hit, reducing it to $3.485 million on their books.
'I've Been In The Rumors Quite A Bit': Maple Leafs Acquired Center Scott Laughton From Flyers
Scott Laughton is a Toronto Maple Leaf.
Toronto still had to clear space to make room for the new additions. On Friday, the Leafs were able to clear $1.15 million in space by assigning forward Ryan Reaves to the Toronto Marlies after the enforcer cleared waivers. They also shipped forward Connor Dewar ($1.8 million) and Conor Timmins ($1.1 million) to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Toronto also moved Max Pacioretty from injured reserve to long-term injured reserve (a savings of $873,770).
Report: Maple Leafs Trade Defenseman Conor Timmins And Forward Connor Dewar To Penguins As NHL Trade Deadline Comes To A Close
After the 3:00 p.m. ET trade deadline comes and goes, oftentimes, a handful of trades filter through.
They also sent Dakota Mermis back down to the Marlies earlier in the week ($775 in cap savings) to maintain a 21-player active roster.
According to Puckpedia.com, all of that strategic cap management put the Leafs at $195,332 of salary cap space. Chris Tanev remains injured, but because he is only on injured reserve, his eventual activation will not affect the cap as Toronto will carry 22 players on the active roster.
‘There Have Been Times Where We’ve Missed Him’: Maple Leafs Feeling The Loss Of Defenseman Chris Tanev Amid Defensive Struggles, Back-To-Back Losses
The Toronto Maple Leafs are feeling the absence of veteran defenseman Chris Tanev.
Of course, if Toronto wants to activate either of their other two players on long-term injured reserve (Pacioretty or Jani Hakanpaa), they would have to create additional cap space. However, that doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. The Leafs have successfully positioned themselves with minimal cap space, allowing for a 22-man roster and the option to activate Tanev when healthy.
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story