Leafs are getting off of $38 million in contracts this summer
The Toronto Maple Leafs have some big decisions to make this summer.
After yet another loss in the first round of the playoffs, major changes seem to be in store for the franchise. With Toronto falling 2-1 to the Boston Bruins in overtime on Game 7 this past Saturday, an all-too-familiar feeling has crept through the Leafs’ world over the past few days.
“We are in the results business here. We didn’t get results. We haven’t met expectations,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said Monday at his end-of-season media availability. “My job as a head coach is to find solutions and chart a path ahead for the group to come through and succeed at the most important time of year. We haven’t done that.”
But while Keefe may or may not be the one to implement whatever changes the team makes over the offseason, the team’s front office staff has their work cut out for them.
The team’s CapFriendly page shows some 12 players heading to free agency this summer. The Leafs currently have a cap hit of $97.6 million this season, which ranks as the highest in the league. But with 15 deals coming off the books this offseason, combining for a cap hit of $38.5 million, Toronto will have a bit more room to work with.
| Money spent 2023-24 | Money spent 2024-25 | |
| Defencemen | $21,012,500 | $12,825,000 |
| Forwards | 59,714,783 | $55,578,000 |
| Goalies | $5,191,667 | $766,667 |
| LTIR | $14,462,500 | $0 |
But that doesn’t mean the Leafs will suddenly have $38.5 million to spend.
They’ve got a difference in contracts next year of $8.3 million from their ten active defencemen, $4.4 million from goalies, and $4.2 million from forwards, but $14.4 million of the money they’re getting out of comes from three players on long-term injured reserve, who do not count towards the salary cap.
Plus, they have about $3.7 million spent this year on four restricted free agents, who all project to be back with the team. CapFriendly’s projections put Toronto’s current cap room for next year at $18.5 million, with 10 forwards, five defencemen, and one goalie currently signed for next year.
Interestingly, the Leafs only have three players scheduled to make a raise so far: Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Simon Benoit, though that number is almost certainly destined to go up. So while the Leafs might be getting off from a boatload of contracts, it seems their salary cap will get filled up pretty fast for next year.
Free agency officially opens on July 1.
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