2026-27<\/p>\n
Upper Limit: $104MM
Current Cap Charge: $106,752,382
Cap Space: -$2,752,382
Potential Bonuses: $3.5MM (around $1MM could be reached)
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n
While it looks like Toronto is in a spot where they need to shed salary, Max Domi<\/a> is expected to land on LTIR to start the season.\u00a0 Until he\u2019s able to return, they\u2019re able to get into cap compliance with too much difficulty.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): None<\/p>\n 2027-28<\/p>\n Projected Upper Limit: $113.5MM Yes, you read the above correctly; the Maple Leafs don\u2019t have any pending free agents next summer among players currently projected to play on their roster.\u00a0 The projected increase in the salary cap will give them some wiggle room next summer but basically, GM John Chayka basically has most of next year\u2019s roster in place already.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): D Emil Andrae<\/a> ($1.55MM), F Easton Cowan<\/a> ($900K)<\/p>\n Cowan had a solid rookie season, one that saw him being eased into things.\u00a0 While he wasn\u2019t a top-six forward for most of the year, the hope is that he\u2019ll get there.\u00a0 If he does over the next couple of years, he could jump into the $7MM or $8MM range fairly quickly.\u00a0 Otherwise, a bridge deal likely lands somewhere around the halfway mark of those numbers.<\/p>\n Andrae was the key part of the return for Joseph Woll<\/a>, with Toronto believing he\u2019s capable of playing a bigger role than he did with Philadelphia.\u00a0 If he proves he can be more of a fourth or fifth option, he could push past the $3.5MM mark on his next deal with arbitration rights.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Teddy Blueger<\/a> ($2.5MM), F Max Domi<\/a> ($3.75MM), D Oliver Ekman-Larsson<\/a> ($3.5MM), F Dakota Joshua<\/a> ($3.25MM), F Steven Lorentz<\/a> ($1.35MM), F Auston Matthews<\/a> ($13.25MM), F Jack Roslovic<\/a> ($4MM), Colton Sissons<\/a> ($4.25MM), D Troy Stecher<\/a> ($1.35MM)<\/p>\n Sissons had a quiet year in Vegas but his overall track record as a strong checking forward helped earn him a notable raise from Toronto, one that caught some off guard for an 11-point player.\u00a0 If he gets back to being a third liner with the Maple Leafs, a small raise should be doable.\u00a0 But if his performance is similar to his time with the Golden Knights, he probably won\u2019t have as strong of a market two years from now.\u00a0 Roslovic learned his lesson after his last couple of trips through free agency didn\u2019t go well.\u00a0 This time, he jumped on a day-one offer, earning himself a nice raise off his second straight 20-goal season.\u00a0 If he\u2019s in that territory for both of these years, that should be enough of a track record to pick up a small increase again.<\/p>\n Domi had a decent first season in Toronto to land this deal but hasn\u2019t come close to reaching that production since then and, as noted earlier, appears to be LTIR-bound.\u00a0 He\u2019s a serviceable middle-six forward who can play down the middle if needed so there\u2019s still some appeal.\u00a0 If he gets back to full health, it\u2019s plausible that he could still land something around this price tag.\u00a0 Joshua hasn\u2019t come close to matching his breakout from two years ago while battling his way back from testicular cancer.\u00a0 He has been more of a fourth liner since then and unless his effectiveness ticks up, he\u2019s probably looking at a cut in pay on his next contract.<\/p>\n Blueger had a nice half-season with Vancouver last season, producing at a career-high rate after a pair of years with at least 26 points.\u00a0 That gives Toronto a bit of upside value-wise with this deal, especially if he holds down a third-line role.\u00a0 In that case, he could push more toward the $4MM mark on his next contract.\u00a0 Lorentz has found a way to be productive from the fourth line while providing physicality and some solid defensive play.\u00a0 These are the types of players who have seen their value jump up a bit as of late so a multi-year pact with an AAV starting with a two should be doable for him.<\/p>\n Ekman-Larsson has fit in quite well over the first half of his contract with Toronto, showing he can still handle a top-four role.\u00a0 While he\u2019ll be 37 when this deal expires, if he\u2019s playing at a similar clip, a short-term pact closer to $5MM per year should be within reach.\u00a0 He\u2019s also an option to go year-to-year which would make him eligible for incentives in his deal.\u00a0 Stecher was a good waiver pickup, going from a fringe piece in Edmonton to a third-pairing regular in Toronto, helping earn this deal earlier this summer.\u00a0 Being an undersized blueliner coupled with his role, however, will probably keep him around this price point moving forward.<\/p>\n 2028-29<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $123MM It\u2019s fair to say that this number will go down significantly after signing the 2028 free agent class.\u00a0 Matthews and Cowan are the headliners while presumably, some of the veteran UFAs will be retained as well.\u00a0 Still, with enough expiring deals, this is where Chayka should have some runway to reshape the roster.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): F Gavin McKenna<\/a> ($1.075MM plus $1MM in \u2018A\u2019 bonuses and $2.5MM in \u2018B\u2019 bonuses)<\/p>\n McKenna was the top pick back in June and is expected to play a prominent role in Toronto\u2019s lineup right away.\u00a0 If he indeed becomes a true top-line player fairly quickly, he could be eyeing deals around the range some of the prominent top picks signed for this summer ($15MM to $18.8MM).\u00a0 Meanwhile, his A bonuses (up to four at $250K apiece) have a realistic shot at being maxed out while his B ones would be much less likely.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): G Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> ($7MM), F Brandon Duhaime<\/a> ($2.6MM), F Nick Paul<\/a> ($3.15MM), F John Tavares<\/a> ($4,389,280)<\/p>\n Tavares took a big discount (and then helped more on the cap side with deferred money) to stay with his hometown team.\u00a0 While he\u2019s no longer a top-line threat, he\u2019s still a quality second-line center making less than what some fourth-line pivots received this summer.\u00a0 Yes, he\u2019ll be 38 when this contract ends and probably not in the same role he has now but they\u2019ll get plenty of value out of it.\u00a0 He\u2019s a viable candidate to go year-to-year after that with bonuses, giving Toronto (assuming he stays) some extra wiggle room if needed cap-wise.<\/p>\n Paul was acquired on the opening day of free agency with the Maple Leafs hoping he can rebound.\u00a0 After flashing top-six upside at times in Tampa Bay, he struggled last season and slipped a bit on the depth chart.\u00a0 But given his overall versatility, they should get a decent return on this contract while a small raise could be doable.\u00a0 Duhaime had a tough year in Washington but benefitted from his track record and the added interest in physicality.\u00a0 If he can get back to being a 20-point player, Toronto should get a good return while his market value would jump past $3MM per year.\u00a0 Otherwise, he\u2019s likely to remain around this price point.<\/p>\n Bobrovsky had his ups and downs in Florida and couldn\u2019t get the long-term deal he was seeking, sending him to Toronto instead.\u00a0 Last season was a struggle and if he repeats that with the Maple Leafs, this will be a problem for them.\u00a0 But even if he gets to around league average, they\u2019ll do okay.\u00a0 Can he do that on a deal that carries him through his age-40 year?\u00a0 That remains to be seen.<\/p>\n 2029-30<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $133.5MM (8.5% increase) The Maple Leafs may need a new starting netminder at this point (unless Artur Akhtyamov<\/a> is pushing for the role by then) and Tavares will need to be replaced.\u00a0 Between the expiring deals and the forecasted cap increase, they should be able to afford both of those pieces.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): D Jake McCabe<\/a> ($4,513,102), D Morgan Rielly<\/a> ($7.5MM), G Anthony Stolarz<\/a> ($3.75MM), D Chris Tanev<\/a> ($4.5MM)<\/p>\n Despite a summer of trade speculation, Rielly remains in the fold.\u00a0 A strong producer offensively just a couple of years ago, he has taken a step back on that end while also scuffling defensively.\u00a0 Still, this price tag isn\u2019t terrible now for a second or third option which is where he\u2019s likely to be this season.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when this deal is up and while he could get a multi-year pact at that time, his role at the time may make it that he\u2019s unable to beat this price point.<\/p>\n McCabe also is on a deal with some deferred money, something that\u2019s now illegal league-wide.\u00a0 He was the de facto number one last season in terms of usage, a role he\u2019s not suited for.\u00a0 He\u2019s ideally a third option and this price tag is great for someone in that slot.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be heading to his age-37 season on his next contract so while a small raise may be achievable, it shouldn\u2019t be a huge one at that time.\u00a0 When healthy, Tanev remains a high-end shutdown defender.\u00a0 Staying healthy has been a big challenge for him, however, and he\u2019s signed through his age-40 campaign.\u00a0 It\u2019s probably his final contract and Toronto\u2019s value on this one will largely come through whether or not he\u2019ll be able to play.<\/p>\n Stolarz had a great first season with Toronto, leading to an early extension that seemed reasonable if he could even come close to that level.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t the case last season while dealing with some injuries as well.\u00a0 Still, as long as he can get back to even being a good backup goalie, this deal should work out okay.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when the contract expires and unless he can become a true starter by then (unlikely, given Bobrovsky\u2019s presence), he may be around this price point again on his next pact.<\/p>\n Signed For 2030-31 And Beyond<\/p>\n For that season, there will be a new CBA in place so trying to forecast the cap and cap space basically becomes a guessing game.\u00a0 Accordingly, we\u2019ll go back to the old Deep Dive format for players signed beyond the 2030-31 campaign.<\/p>\n Reshaping the back end may be the theme of the 2030 offseason with three of their top-four (in terms of money) blueliners up at the same time.\u00a0 Having that many expiring deals will give Chayka ample room to operate on that front.<\/p>\n F Matthew Knies<\/a> ($7.75MM through 2030-31) Nylander\u2019s not known for his game-to-game consistency but he has been over a point per game in four straight years now and is a legitimate top-line winger.\u00a0 This is a little bit on the high side today but over the next couple of seasons, as more move into this price range, the Maple Leafs will get good value here.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when this deal is up so the focus on his next contract may be more on term instead of maximizing AAV.\u00a0 Knies bypassed a bridge deal last summer to sign this agreement, one that is already team-friendly.\u00a0 He\u2019ll only be in his late-20s when this deal expires, giving him a chance at a max-term agreement if he wants one, one that feels quite certain to reach double digits in terms of AAV.<\/p>\n Raddysh had a breakout year with Tampa Bay last season, leading to an eventual sign-and-trade deal in late June.\u00a0 If he remains a top-pairing, high-producing defender, this could prove to be quite a bargain given where the market has gone since then.\u00a0 However, if he goes back to being more of a second-pairing option with secondary offense as he was the two years before then, this could be a problematic pact.\u00a0 There\u2019s certainly some risk\/reward with the contract but the reward could be significant.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 38 when this deal is up and it seems unlikely he\u2019ll be producing enough by then to command this price tag on a new contract.<\/p>\n Outlook<\/p>\n While there isn\u2019t much short-term room to work with over the next couple of years, Toronto will have a ton of flexibility starting in 2028 to really reshape its core if needed.\u00a0 With few long-term commitments on their books, Chayka will have some runway to operate with from a cap perspective but a bit of patience will be needed first.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.\u00a0 Teams that 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Current Cap Charge: $106,752,382 (23 players signed)
Cap Space: $6,747,618
Potential Bonuses: $3.5MM (around $1MM could be reached)
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/USATSI_27554767-210x300.jpg\")
<\/a>While it seems so long ago now (when it really hasn\u2019t been), this Matthews contract was once the priciest in NHL history in terms of his AAV.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t hold the record for too long overall.\u00a0 He was also one of the few who eschewed long-term deals in favor of medium-term ones, a trend that may become much more popular moving forward.\u00a0 This deal allows Matthews to hit the open market as a 30-year-old where, in theory, he could get a big jump in pay and a longer-term pact if he wanted it.\u00a0 However, his production has dipped the last couple of years while he has dealt with some injuries.\u00a0 He\u2019s still a top-liner but not among the elite shooters like he was.\u00a0 If this continues, he could still land a small raise given his role but it won\u2019t put him among the top-paid players again.<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $66,227,382 (12 players signed)
Cap Space: $56,772,618
Potential Bonuses: $3.5MM (around $1MM could be reached)
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $48,013,102 (7 players signed)
Cap Space: $85,486,898
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n
F William Nylander<\/a> ($11.5MM through 2031-32)
D Darren Raddysh<\/a> ($8.5MM through 2033-34)<\/p>\n