In the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs have the worst $7 million spent.
James Tanner | Posted at 8:00 AM EDT
Apr. 3, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN: During a brawl in the third period at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves (75) of the Toronto Maple Leafs delivers a punch to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot (84). Required Reference: John E. Sokolowski-Sports TODAY USA
Apr. 3, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN: During a brawl in the third period at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves (75) of the Toronto Maple Leafs delivers a punch to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot (84). Required Citation: John E. Sokolowski / John E. Sokolowski / USA TODAY Sports
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The Toronto Maple Leafs’ allocation of almost $40 million to four players is a topic of much discussion.
This, however, is only because the typical fan is unaware that the money an NHL team spends on elite players is some of the best value out there.
When Ryan O’Reilly and Jake McCabe joined the team in 2023, the Leafs possessed the deepest roster in the NHL. If the criticism of spending so much money on Morgan Rielly and the Core Four is accurate, they could not have done that.
They had a chance to repeat as the deepest team from the previous season, but Brodie turned down, Samsonov faltered, and Treliving mishandled the $20 million he was required to spend in the summer. As a result, they ended up with healthy scratches worth $11 million in Game Six of the Playoffs against Boston this year (Samsonov, Reaves, Brodie, Timmins).
I bring up the $7 million that the Leafs have already misappropriated for the upcoming season because they need to learn from their failures. They must fix this serious mistake before the upcoming season begins.
In the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs have the worst $7 million spent.
The highest paid fourth liner in the NHL is David Kampf, who earns $2.4 million.
Every time it’s brought up that the organisation signed 36-year-old Ryan Reaves for three years, he earns $1.35, and the franchise feels ashamed.
Conor Timmins should only be paid the league minimum, but at $1.1, he is paid too much for a depth player. (Pay information at capfriendly.com).
$2.1 million is Calle Jarnkrok’s salary, which is excessive for his work.
That’s a total of $6.95 million that was mishandled on four fourth liners.
All four players must be cut by the Toronto Maple Leafs in order to make room for players on entry-level, league-minimum contracts.
The Leafs wouldn’t do much worse (if at all) and would have an additional $3.58 million to spend on other players if they were to replace all four players on the roster with Easton Cowan, Roni Hirvonen, Nick Abruzzese, and Topi Niemela.
That would cover the majority of Jusse Saros’ salary or enough to keep a decently priced Max Domi on staff. In any case, a lot of money is being spent right now on nothing.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be able to add more top-end talent to their team by selecting depth players more wisely. Getting rid of Reaves, Kampf, Timmins, and Jarnkrok over the summer is extremely necessary.
