The Toronto Maple Leafs fans are counting down the days until the regular season starts. However, there’s still a lot to do to get this team ready for prime time.
We Are Now Midway Between the End of One Season and the Start of Another
We are past the midpoint between the date the last hockey game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs was played on June 13, 2023, and the day that NHL training camps open for the 2023-24 season on Sep. 23. Given the additions the Maple Leafs have made to the team, it’s going to be an interesting time for fans.
The Maple Leafs prospects will once again be taking part in the Traverse City Prospects Tournament hosted by the Detroit Red Wings. That tournament opens on Sep. 14. Hopefully, fans will get some television or streaming coverage of the games. The Maple Leafs’ first preseason game will be on Sep. 24 in Ottawa against the Senators.
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One interesting quirk of the regular season is that the Maple Leafs will play two games in Stockholm, Sweden. On Nov. 17, they take on the Red Wings. Then, on Nov. 19, they play the Minnesota Wild. Luckily for the Maple Leafs, both of the games will be considered road games.
New GM Brad Treliving Still Has Work to Do for Next Season
The Maple Leafs’ new general manager (GM) Brad Treliving still has some work to do before then. He needs to somehow bring the team under the $83.5 million upper end of the salary cap. Ideally, the team would like to carry at least 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goalies for a total of 22 players on their roster. If the team wants to carry that number of players, it would put the Maple Leafs about $1.3 million over the cap.
Another priority for Treliving is to try and get both Auston Matthews and William Nylander signed to extensions.
If we can believe the stories and rumors, it appears the team and Matthews are close to a deal that will see Matthews become the highest-paid player in the league. The number appears to be in the $13 to $13.5 million range with a term between three and five years.
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Word is that Nylander and Maple Leafs are not so close on their negotiations. Nylander is reported to be seeking in the area of $10 million and the Maple Leafs are making an offer closer to $8 million annually.
With Contract Negotiations, It Seems History Does Not Lie
If history is any indication, Matthews signed his present contract early and the negotiations not only went well, but they were also kept completely quiet and out of the media. Nylander, on the other hand, missed a good portion of his signing season. In fact, he waited almost literally until the last minute. His present deal was announced just prior to the deadline, which would have seen him have to sit out a full season. Both scenarios align with what is presently being reported.
The biggest difference with the previous, and present, talks with Nylander is that he was a restricted free agent (RFA) then. This time, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent (UFA). It will be interesting to see what happens if the team doesn’t get him signed. Will they let Nylander play his present contract out? Or, will they try and make a deal for him to get something back in return?
Watch for Organizational Action in Two Areas
It also appears that Treliving is still looking to solidify the team and its depth at both the forward and defensemen positions. The Maple Leafs don’t presently have a lot of experienced depth at any position, including goaltending. It would seem that Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll are going to be counted on to do the job.
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While it has been a quiet few weeks, and there is very little to report on, we are sure that things will pick up the closer we get to the end of the summer.
[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs’ fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]
