Maximizing LTIR this offseason Opening Day Roster

Team: 2023-24 Toronto Maple Leafs

Initial Creation Date: Feb. 22, 2023

Published: Feb. 23, 2023

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

This upcoming offseason will be a tough one for the Leafs. Being the optimist that I am, I'm operating under the assumption that the Leafs will be attempting to retain both Accari and O'Reilly in this deal given their instant impact. Knowing this would mean other UFA's like Kampf, Engvall, Kerfoot and Holl will be lost to free agency, for better or for worse.

Now, with Muzzin's health up in the air with many speculating as to whether he will ever play NHL hockey again, I again am operating under the assumption he will spend the next year on LTIR. For the Leafs to maximize that room, they will have to be able to create an opening day roster that includes Muzzin and allows them to be as close to the cap as possible. That's what I did here.

Obviously, there are some questions that come with this like are the forecasted prices for Bunting, O'Reilly, Samsonov and Accari appropriate? Is Murray a truly tradable asset or will the Leafs have to pay a hefty price to offload the deal? (I doubt it but because of his $8M salary next season, it's possible) Are the Leafs content with adding from within this offseason, or will they look for outside help? And finally, will the Leafs even worry about maximizing this space by looking to add by way of trade next season.

Now, this doesn't mean the Leafs couldn't add in the offseason, technically they can spend most of Muzzin's contract, but it would however limit their ability to trade next season without sending money out the other way. It would also create a lot more flexibility for if and when players go down with injuries.