The Maple Leafs are in trouble with their payroll

DansLesCoulisses.com
The Maple Leafs are in trouble with their payroll
Credit: Capture d'écran - Twitter (X)

John Chayka faced the daunting task of turning the Maple Leafs around when he took over as general manager.

He did just that with several acquisitions this summer, but it's ultimately taking a toll on the team.

During the latest episode of TSN's “Insider Trading,” Chris Johnston revealed that Toronto is currently facing issues with its payroll.

The Leafs are just $647,000 away from the projected offseason salary cap. This is the amount calculated by the NHL based on the team's player contracts for the upcoming season.

At first glance, you might think this is a problem for later, but not really.

This situation means the Leafs cannot add a new player to their NHL roster if that player's contract extends into next season. The only way to do so would be to remove another player with a contract for next season.

All of this means there will have to be some movement on this team; otherwise, there can be no trades, signings, or call-ups.

For example, Ben Danford, a first-round pick in 2024, cannot be called up even though he's still under his NHL entry-level contract.

We know John Chayka, though. He's a smooth talker, a good “car salesman,” as he was called when he arrived in Toronto. According to him, everything is great and going according to plan.

Chayka told Chris Johnston that he had no intention of recalling Danford anyway and that this was part of the plan.

Toward the end of their conversation, however, Johnston noted that despite Chayka's comments, this situation will need to be resolved in the coming months to avoid problems for the Leafs.


In Brief

– Connor Hellebuyck's first game with the Devils.

– Huh?

– 250 NHL games for Matthew Knies.

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