Team: 2020-21 Toronto Maple Leafs

Initial Creation Date: May 21, 2019

Published: May 21, 2019

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Ignoring this season and planning for the expansion year (needed to look at something different). Assumes no one of significance is lost in 2019-20 (other than UFAs and Kapanen and Brown via trade.)

Bumped cap up by 5M - should be a big increase in 20-21.

Leafs have around 5-6M in cap space that they likely invest in either D (perhaps resign Muzzin, though he will be 30) or LW.

Note I have Marner on a pricey bridge (3x10M), he'll likely get 8x15M at the end of those 3 years due to cap inflation (that's 150M total over 11 years - which works out to 13.63M/year)

Woll is a placeholder as backup G. Could be a UFA or Scott instead.

Hyman is the most likely to be selected. Makes enough to help Seattle reach the necessary cap requirements and will be a UFA the following season giving him added TDL value to a contender. Leafs could potentially try to persuade Seattle to take Zaitsev (if he isn't traded in 2019) instead with incentives. "Take Zaitsev and we'll give you draft pick X and prospect Y."

Protected:
7F: Tavares (NMC), Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Kadri, Johnsson (likely RFA), Bracco (RFA)
3D: Reilly, Dermott (RFA), Another RHD from likely Kapanen trade in 2019
1G: Andersen

**Note** I may be over-valuing Bracco, but I think he'll break through next year and having Marner on the same team as an example/mentor should do wonders for him at the NHL level.

Exposed:
Forwards: Hyman, Moore, Mikheyev (RFA), Korshkov, Gauthier (RFA), Petan, Brooks (RFA), Engvall (RFA), Marchment (RFA), Timashov (RFA)
Defense: Rosen, Borgman (RFA), Zaitsev (if not traded in 2019), Kivihalme (RFA), Lindgren
Goalies: Kaskisuo (RFA)

Exempt: D Liljegren, D Sandin, D Hollowell, D Duszak, F Der-Arguchintsev, G Woll, G Scott

UFAs: Muzzin, Marleau, Holl, Sparks

Assumed traded in 2019:
Brown (pick/prospect)
Kapanen (for RHD help)