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da mppl leafz

Created by: DragonRaptorHybrid
Team: 2016-17 Toronto Maple Leafs
Initial Creation Date: Jul. 26, 2016
Published: Jul. 26, 2016
Salary Cap Mode: Basic
Description
First, this assumes that Jared Cowen got bought out. As per Elliotte Friedman, the NHL and the NHLPA have been in arbitration since the beginning of July over whether or not Cowen was healthy enough to be bought out. If he is ultimately bought out, that makes things easier for the Maple Leafs; they don't have to put Nathan Horton or Stéphane Robidas on LTIR, thus making them liable for penalties if performance bonuses are reached. Given Matthews' Schedule A and B bonuses, that'd be not-so-great.

Also, this does generally assume that Joffrey Lupul is healthy enough to play. Admittedly, that is an assumption of questionable merit, but we'll roll with it for now.

Forwards

Line 1: Leo Komarov - Nazem Kadri - James van Riemsdyk worked pretty well to start last season. They had good possession numbers together, as well.

Line 2: I still think Milan Michálek has value as a player. The contract's not great, but he's still a good player; he just has a bit of an injury history. I think a healthy Lupul can probably still be a middle-6 winger at this point.

Line 3: Mike Babcock said some time ago that Auston Matthews was starting on the 3rd line and that William Nylander would be on the wing to start the season. I have the latter penciled in as 3LW, but, frankly, he might get the bump to 2LW to take some stress off of Lupul's insanely frail body. If Matthews shows that he can handle being a center in the NHL, I think that he and Bozak are interchangeable at center. Like Michálek, I think Colin Greening also still has value in the NHL; in this case, he can serve as a mentor to Matthews and Nylander. Michálek could also probably serve the same role if Matthews and Nylander play on different lines.

Line 4 + Extras: Martin and Laich are pretty prototypical 4th liners. Byron Froese could probably play 4RW as well as Nikita Soshnikov. I'm not the happiest about having Peter Holland be the 13th forward because he should have substantial playing time but probably won't get it as a center. Leivo's an extra because he's on a 1-way deal and waiver-eligible.

As much as everyone wants to try and fit Mitch Marner onto the roster, there doesn't seem to be a spot for him, honestly. He is, with little doubt, ready to move on from the OHL but probably won't unless he has a strong showing in training camp. However, if Lupul is deemed generally unable to play, there *might* be an in for Marner:
1: Komarov - Kadri - Nylander
2: JvR - Bozak - Marner
3: Holland - Matthews - Michálek
4: Greening - Laich - Martin
Extras: Leivo, Soshnikov/Froese
This would give all of the younger players an opportunity (Babcock's *favorite* word) to play with older, seasoned players on their line. Nylander gets to play with Kadri, the de facto 1C right now, and Komarov. Marner learns how to be defensively responsible from Bozak and how to score effectively from JvR. Matthews gets two at-least-competent players in Holland and Michálek, and, should he struggle with the responsibilities of a center, Holland can step in.

Defense

Pair 1: Morgan Rielly really should be playing on the left and not the right. Whether Connor Carrick or Frank Corrado gets 1RD is up to their showings in training camp. I think the Maple Leafs are higher on Carrick at the moment(?), so he's penciled in there for now.

Pair 2: Not much to say.

Pair 3: Either Martin Marinčin or Matt Hunwick is going to get 3LD, with the other being the 7th defenseman. I don't think Roman Polák should be playing above the 3rd pairing.

On Nikita Zaitsev, he's probably going to require time to adjust from the KHL to North American rinks/play styles, so I have him in the AHL to start the season. In all likelihood, Polák's gone at the trade deadline, so Zaitsev can come up on a permanent basis then. He can always be promoted before then, but the Maple Leafs are going to have to juggle 8 defensemen.

Special Teams

Because of the roster turnover this season, these are just suggestions for special teams, mostly based off of ice time from last season, combined with liberal amounts of guessing.

PP1: Kadri, JvR, Rielly, and Komarov, definitely. I put Nylander in the 5th spot because I don't want to bunch up the young players on a single power play unit, but Lupul could be there, as well.

PP2: Michálek had substantial power play time with the Senators and is still probably competent in that area. Matthews will get an introduction to the power play here. If Lupul's not healthy enough to play, you could swap in Holland or even Marner.

PK1: One of Marinčin or Hunwick is getting that PK spot. I'm hesitant to put them both in PK spots because one of them's going to be 7th D and therefore not always dressed to play every night (unless they both get spots and Rielly has to play RD again). Matt Martin wasn't really asked to play PK with the Islanders, but he might have to here.

PK2: I just paired Komarov and Soshnikov because they seem to have similar play-styles. I don't know if Corrado's necessarily defensively oriented, which might make him not a good fit for the PK, but I wouldn't play Gardiner or Carrick on the PK. If Hunwick does get a spot in the top 6, then Corrado probably won't play PK.
Free Agent Signings
RFAYEARSCAP HIT
1$735,000
UFAYEARSCAP HIT
2$1,300,000
Buyouts
Retained Salary Transactions
DraftRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 6Round 7
2017
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Logo of the TOR
Logo of the SJS
Logo of the OTT
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
2018
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the SJS
Logo of the SJS
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
2019
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
Logo of the TOR
ROSTER SIZESALARY CAPCAP HITOVERAGES TooltipBONUSESCAP SPACE
25$73,000,000$70,848,666$512,000$3,882,500$2,151,334

Roster

Left WingCentreRight Wing
$4,500,000$4,500,000
C
UFA - 6
$4,250,000$4,250,000
LW, RW
M-NTC
UFA - 2
$2,950,000$2,950,000
RW, LW, C
UFA - 2
$5,250,000$5,250,000
LW, RW
M-NTC
UFA - 2
$4,000,000$4,000,000
LW, RW
M-NTC
UFA - 1
$4,200,000$4,200,000
C, RW
M-NTC
UFA - 2
$894,167$894,167 (Performance Bonus$850,000$850K)
RW
UFA - 2
$2,650,000$2,650,000
LW
M-NTC
UFA - 1
$925,000$925,000 (Performance Bonus$2,850,000$3M)
C
UFA - 3
$736,666$736,666 (Performance Bonus$182,500$182K)
RW
UFA - 2
$2,500,000$2,500,000
LW, RW
UFA - 4
$4,500,000$4,500,000
C, LW
UFA - 1
$612,500$612,500
RW, LW
UFA - 2
$1,300,000$1,300,000
C
UFA - 1
$5,300,000$5,300,000
RW
NMC
UFA - 4
Left DefenseRight DefenseGoaltender
$5,000,000$5,000,000
LD
UFA - 6
$750,000$750,000
RD
UFA - 2
$5,000,000$5,000,000
G
UFA - 5
$4,050,000$4,050,000
LD
UFA - 3
$600,000$600,000
RD
UFA - 1
$735,000$735,000
LD
UFA - 2
$2,250,000$2,250,000
RD
UFA - 1
$1,300,000$1,300,000
G
UFA - 1
$1,200,000$1,200,000
LD
UFA - 1
$3,000,000$3,000,000
RD
M-NTC
UFA - 1

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