Victor: It just might be a little more complicated then you indicated. Rosen and Borgman right now get paid 1.75m salary and bonuses for being in the NHL, I doubt if they will settle for 1.5m in their new contracts if they regular NHLers. We'll know in two years, but would be Marleau's motivation to be traded from a possible Cup contender. And who would take his contract? Does Grundstrom resign for so little as a RFA to play 2nd line wing?
You are correct, the Leafs might be able to to have no carryover in bonuses from the 2018/19, which is so important for the Leafs for their 2019/20 signings. Looking forward to 2020/21....no Horton.

Grundstrom is still on his ELC at this time. Somehow he disappeared and I had to re-create him.

Rosen and Borgman are unlikely to reach their bonuses in either year. It 's not an easy thing to do as a 5/6 D. But you are right, the chance exists that they could get more. The chance also exists that we only keep one after their ELC's are done and it is important to remember that they are still RFA'S at that point.

The way Marleau's contract is structured suggests strongly to me that this has been discussed with him prior to signing. His only options this summer were two-year contracts, we essentially are giving him three years worth of money to play two. If he maintains a certain level of play I have no doubt we keep him for the third year. Look at our LW without him. However, if his play drops off he becomes an easy contract to move to a team operating under the cap. They get him and an asset from us and they only pay 1.5 real money for a 6.5 million cap hit. He sits the season out without going on LTIR unofficially retired. This has happened before, as a matter of fact we did it with Laich and Michalek. Except we paid their contract full pop. I'm sure Marleau understands this right now. The only real problem that I could see arise is if the Leafs think his play has dropped and Marleau doesn't agree. But I think Marleau signed this contract knowing that he was only playing two years most likely.

Either way, there is 5.5 million extra to play with if you skin Martin who has no NTC.

Yes, it's possible to squeeze through. Although it would be a "Miro-cle" to get an ex KHL player signed for $1M. Try 2 or 2.5 if he's any good. The two swedes are on the low side as well imo, assuming they earned those spots and aren't marginal temp players.

But the biggest headache will be trying to absorb all the ELC bonuses in 2018-19, let alone the huge carryover from this season to 2018.

We're not really "squeezing through" imo.

We all know we are going to have to play some of the kids at the expense of expensive veterans.

The narrative that we "can't afford Jake" is ridiculous imo. Jake will go if one of Dermott/Borgman/Rosen make him expendable or we go after a big fish FA Dman who is clearly better than Jake. Even then, the first casualties would most likely be Martin + Marleau. Jake won't be lost because "we couldn't fit him in".

Jake imo will be in the ballpark of the Cam Fowler signing.

But I will make some edits to show what I actually think will happen.