How so?<\/p>\n
The rules state that players with no-movement clauses have to be protected. And guess who has a no-movement clause: Sergei Bobrovsky.<\/p>\n
Now, there\u2019s no need to sound the alarms just yet. This was just a thought exercise based on what would have happened today. The real thing will likely happen at some point in 2029 or 2030. By then, the Maple Leafs\u2019 roster could look radically different.<\/p>\n
The situation, nonetheless, will point to two things John Chayka will need to keep in mind moving forward.<\/p>\n
Maple Leafs Will Need to Be Careful with No-Movement Clauses<\/p>\n
As it stands, the Maple Leafs would be forced to protect seven players. Each one has a full no-movement clause. The forwards, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares, seem like locks.<\/p>\n
On defense, the Leafs would have to protect Darren Raddysh, Morgan Rielly<\/a>, and Chris Tanev. Right there, those are the three blueliners the Leafs could protect under the 7-3-1 structure. And it would open the door for Jake McCabe to depart.<\/p>\n By 2029, however, things might differ. So, Matthews is only under contract until 2028. Let\u2019s assume he extends, so that\u2019s one slot. Nylander is under contract till 2032. That\u2019s another slot. Tavares will be a free agent in 2029. That\u2019s actually good because the Leafs could wait until after the NHL expansion draft to re-sign him, assuming he\u2019s still playing at age 38.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Tanev, Raddysh, and Rielly would all have to be protected. The only other player off the books would be Bobrovsky.<\/p>\n What all of this means is that the Maple Leafs will not likely offer full no-movement clauses to free-agent signings down the line. Unless these are players that the team wants to protect anyway, the organization will be wary of handing out full no-trade and no-movement protection.<\/p>\n Toronto May Have to Work Out Deal Ahead of Time<\/p>\n The Maple Leafs may ultimately have to work out a deal ahead of time. For the 2021 NHL expansion draft, Toronto acquired Jared McCann from the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> for the sole purpose of exposing him in the draft.<\/p>\n Indeed, the Kraken took him, as expected.<\/p>\n That may be something the Leafs will have to do in 2029. It wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see John Chayka set up various pieces that would be more attractive to the future NHL franchise than a current roster player.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether Chayka had the NHL expansion draft in mind this summer. But it\u2019s very interesting that nine of the team\u2019s current contracts expire in 2028. Assuming the draft happens in 2029, the Leafs and their projected $56 million in cap space could very well feast on the trades that will happen as teams try to set themselves up.<\/p>\n
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