- The Leafs have roughly $23 million in projected cap space for next season.
- Re-signing free agents on team-friendly deals will be critical for Toronto.
- Auston Matthews and William Nylanders’ expensive cap hits restrict Toronto’s flexibility.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will enter the 2024-25 season with limited wiggle room under the NHL’s salary cap. Even with the league’s cap rumoured to expand to $87.7 million next year, Toronto will be hard-pressed to add difference-makers in the offseason.
Let’s explore their current situation and the challenges GM Brad Treliving faces to give his squad the best NHL odds to win it all next year.
Toronto Maple Leafs Salary Cap 2024-25 Info
From cap space to getting under the cap to Toronto’s biggest current contract, let’s explore the Leafs’ salary cap for 2024-25.
How Much Cap Space Do the Toronto Maple Leafs Have?
The Leafs have roughly $23 million in projected cap space, but they need to address crucial roster holes this offseason.
Leafs fans will be relieved to learn that Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and Morgan Rielly are all under contract for 2024-25. However, multiple important players are set to hit free agency, including defencemen T.J. Brodie, Ilya Lybushkin, and Timothy Liljegren as well as wingers Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi.
Both of Toronto’s netminders, Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones are also free agents after this season.
Toronto may have to let key contributors walk due to their expensive core.
How Will Leafs Get Under the Salary Cap?
While $23 million seems like a decent amount, Treliving will have several decisions to make. With only 11 skaters and no goaltenders under contract for next season, there’s plenty of work to do.
Convincing free agents like Bertuzzi, Domi, Brodie and Liljegren to take team-friendly deals is crucial. The Leafs will also have to decide whether or not to re-sign Samsonov or look for a cheaper option between the pipes. Neither route is ideal for a team looking to contend for a Stanley Cup championship in 2024-25.
Expect Treliving to swing a multitude of trades to reshape the roster around his core. The Leafs need to swing for the fences with the cheapest additions they can find this offseason. However, persuading captain Tavares to waive his full no-trade clause and moving on from the expensive 34-year-old offers another avenue toward cap flexibility.
Regardless, fleshing out the roster and creating a contending team with only 11 players under contract won’t be easy.
What Is the Leafs’ Biggest Contract?
Matthews’ contract carries the Leafs’ biggest cap hit at $13.25 million in 2024-25 followed by Nylanders’ freshly minted $11.5 million and Tavares’ $11 million. With Marner and Rielly also locked into deals, Toronto’s core will have at least one more shot at a Stanley Cup together. However, these contracts limit the team’s ability to add difference-making free agents.
OFFICIAL: The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed William Nylander to an 8-year, $92M contract extension ($11.5M AAV).
Thoughts on the deal? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/aS9s3QlfED
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 8, 2024
What Happens if an NHL Team Exceeds the Salary Cap?
NHL teams are not permitted to exceed the cap at any point during the regular season. Any team that violated the cap faces fines of at least $5 million, possible contract cancellations, and loss of draft picks.
