The Toronto Maple Leafs just inked defenseman Nick Blankenburg to a one-year contract today. It’s a move, but man, does it make things tight for them in the cap space department.
Blankenburg’s Numbers Before The Blue and White
Blankenburg, who’s 28 years old, put in some serious work last season. He appeared in 61 games, splitting his time between the Nashville Predators and the Colorado Avalanche. He racked up eight goals and 16 assists in the regular season. Then he added another goal in five playoff games. That’s solid production, and it shows he can contribute.
Cap Crunch Time For Toronto
Here’s where it gets real for the Leafs: Blankenburg’s new deal is for $1.4 million. PuckPedia reports this pushes Toronto to a projected $3.808 million *over* the salary cap. That’s a huge problem. They’re going to have to pull some serious financial gymnastics. Their plan? Submit an opening roster with Domi ($3.75M) and Villeneuve ($68K SOIR) on LTIR. If they do that, they can get within $10K of an optimal LTIR capture. Talk about cutting it close, right? Every dollar counts there.
Everyone cleared waivers, and the core group has already jetted off to Arizona. The Leafs now have a full 24 players on their roster, including a packed eight defenders, and they’re at 50 SPCs. They’ll need to keep at least one player on IR, and they’ve got Bo Groulx they can send down later if someone gets healthy. It’s a tight ship they’re running.
This Blankenburg signing is done, but the real fight for the Maple Leafs is happening off the ice, managing those books. They’ve got their guy, now they just have to figure out how to make it all fit.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pension Plan Puppets.
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