What’s Next For The Toronto Maple Leafs?
In the wake of Sunday’s blockbuster trades, one cannot help but wonder what’s next for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Who’s next to go? Who stays?
In any case, I think that it’s pretty safe to say that this season is a write-off. We’re not making any moves to make a run at the playoffs this season. So, let’s look forward and take a look at what the Maple Leafs should look like next season.
According to CapGeek’s 2010-11 Cap Calculator, the Maple Leafs are committed to 14 players and $47.6125M in payroll. Now, bonuses are included in that number, leaving 9 roster spots and $13.4475M in cap space.
Now, let’s assume that Nikolai Kulemin, Christian Hanson & Jonas Gustavsson re-sign for modest raises, either before the end of the season or in the summer.
Let’s also assume that Viktor Stalberg & Nazem Kadri will be up with the big club next season. Under these assumptions, here’s what the Leafs will have committed for the 2010-11 season:
| ————————————————————————————————————————————– |
||
| PLAYER | BONUS | CAP HIT |
|---|---|---|
| FORWARDS | ||
| Phil Kessel | — | $5,400,000 |
| Tyler Bozak | ($2,850,000) | $3,725,000 |
| Mikhail Grabovski | — | $2,900,000 |
| * Nikolai Kulemin | — | $2,000,000 |
| Nazem Kadri | ($850,000) | $1,750,000 |
| * Christian Hanson | — | $1,250,000 |
| Colton Orr | — | $1,000,000 |
| Viktor Stalberg | ($65,000) | $850,000 |
| Fredrik Sjostrom | — | $750,000 |
| Jay Rosehill | — | $512,500 |
| DEFENSEMEN | ||
| Dion Phaneuf | — | $6,500,000 |
| Mike Komisarek | — | $4,500,000 |
| Tomas Kaberle | — | $4,250,000 |
| Francois Beauchemin | — | $3,800,000 |
| Jeff Finger | — | $3,500,000 |
| Luke Schenn | ($2,100,000) | $2,975,000 |
| Carl Gunnarsson | ($170,000) | $800,000 |
| GOALTENDERS | ||
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere | — | $6,000,000 |
| * Jonas Gustavsson | — | $3,000,000 |
| BUYOUTS | ||
| Darcy Tucker | — | $1,000,000 |
| ROSTER SIZE | 19 | |
| SALARY CAP | $56,800,000 | |
| PAYROLL | $56,462,500 | |
| BONUSES | $6,035,000 | |
| CAP SPACE | $4,597,500 | |
| ————————————————————————————————————————————- | ||
That leaves 4 spots open with about $4.5M in cap space.
Here are some projected lines (minus the 4 open roster spots):
FORWARDS
Kulemin-Grabovski-Kessel
Stalberg-Bozak-Hanson
Sjostrom-Kadri-_____
Rosehill-_____-Orr
_____ _____
DEFENCEMEN
Kaberle-Phaneuf
Beauchemin-Komisarek
Gunnarsson-Schenn
Finger
GOALTENDERS
Giguere
Gustavsson
————————————————————————————————————————————–
There are still so many moves on the horizon. How would you fill out this roster?
- Would you move Tomas Kaberle for some much needed help up front and/or a first-round pick?
- Would you re-sign or trade Alexei Ponikarovsky?
- Would you bury Jeff Finger in the minors to open up some cap space?
- Would you bring back John Mitchell for a cheap number?
- Would you assume that Lee Stempniak, Wayne Primeau & Rickard Wallin are as good as gone?
If you were Brian Burke, what would you do?
Follow me on twitter: @SantosDan
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ms office 2007
