The Maple Leafs made long-term commitments to Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Is it enough to remake the look and feel of Toronto's defense? The NHLPA released their full list of players that elected for salary arbitration and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Connor Dewar is among them. The 25-year-old joined the Maple Leafs in March as part of a trade with the Minnesota Wild for forward prospect Dmitry Ovchinnikov and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick. He had a goal and four assists in 19 games with the Leafs and while those numbers on their own may not be much to sneeze at, he did play in six of Toronto's seven playoff games in their first-round series loss to the Boston Bruins. Dewar picked up an assist while averaging 11:10. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPucxwhvCaQ[/embed] Dewar was coming off a two-year deal worth $800,000 per season. The Manitoba native had arbitration rights due to his age, along with the fact that he wasn't coming off his entry-level contract. SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW? The Maple Leafs and Dewar will continue to work on a new contract between and now whenever Dewar's arbitration hearing date is set. Arbitration cases are scheduled between July 20 and Aug. 4. Once Dewar's arbitration hearing starts, negotiating will stop and a third party will decide on Dewar's compensation for his next deal. That number will be binding under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and the Leafs would only be able to walkway from Dewar's award if his salary came in at $4.748 million or higher (which is extremely unlikely). AFP Analytics projects Dewar's next deal at two years at $1,423,221.62, which would represent a 78 percent raise over his 2023-24 salary. The Leafs only had one other player eligible for salary arbitration going into this season in Timothy Liljegren, but both the Leafs and Liljegren agreed to terms on a new two-year deal worth $6 million. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related ‘Chicago Wasn’t Really On My Radar’: How A Phone Call With Former Maple Leafs Forward Nick Foligno Sparked a Move to the Blackhawks for Tyler Bertuzzi [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/chicago-wasnt-really-on-my-radar-how-a-phone-call-with-former-maple-leafs-forward-nick-foligno-sparked-a-move-to-the-blackhawks-for-tyler-bertuzzi] ‘I Feel A Lot Better Than What I Did When I Was 25’: Why Maple Leafs Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson Feels His Best is Yet to Come After Getting 'Fired' From Buyout One Year Prior [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/i-feel-a-lot-better-than-what-i-did-when-i-was-25-why-maple-leafs-defenseman-oliver-ekman-larsson-feels-his-best-is-yet-to-come] 'He’s Kind Of The Guy I Want To Learn (And) Model Myself After': Maple Leafs Prospects Cade Webber and Ben Danford Getting Help at Development Camp From Jake Muzzin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/hes-kind-of-the-guy-i-want-to-learn-and-model-myself-after-maple-leafs-prospects-cade-webber-and-ben-danford-getting-help-at-development-camp-from-jake-muzzin] News from THN.com The Five Most Improved NHL Teams So Far in the 2024 Off-Season [https://thehockeynews.com/news/the-five-most-improved-nhl-teams-so-far-in-the-2024-off-season] Which Canadian NHL Teams Are Closest to Winning the Cup After the Start of Free Agency? [https://thehockeynews.com/news/which-canadian-nhl-teams-are-closest-to-winning-the-cup-after-the-start-of-free-agency] NHL Free Agency: Grading 10 Teams for Their Off-Season Actions – or Lack Thereof [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-free-agency-grading-10-teams-for-their-off-season-actions-or-lack-thereof]
