Maple Leafs urged to sign defenseman for 2-year, $18 million contract in free agency
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Maple Leafs urged to sign defenseman for 2-year, $18 million contract in free agency originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The salary cap is working in the Toronto Maple Leafs' favor this offseason.
Essentially, they have some short-term room to work with, and that could allow them to find some solutions to their potential defensive woes.
One option? Dougie Hamilton.
NHL analyst Kevin Papetti thinks the Leafs could land Hamilton, who is a free agent from the New Jersey Devils, for a two-year deal worth $9 million per year ($18 million total).
He also suggests the defenseman Rasmus Andersson as a possible alternative to Hamilton.
Papetti explained why this could make sense:
"The Leafs have plenty of cap space, and they don't have to give out any significant raises in the near future. You don't want to sign up for bad long-term deals, but they can afford to overpay for 2-3 seasons. Short-term, high AAV deals make sense this offseason."
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Some salary cap implications will also depend upon what the Maple Leafs decide to do with Auston Matthews.
The captain has two years remaining on his contract, and if they choose to trade him, that changes a lot of the financial future.
But if Matthews sticks around, the shorter deals might also make sense just as far as contention windows are concerned. A two-year deal to someone would align with Matthews' contract, and if the Maple Leafs don't win in that time, then maybe it shifts to the Gavin McKenna era (or whoever Toronto takes No. 1 overall next month).
Free agency doesn't open until July 1, but the Maple Leafs will certainly have a lot of eyes on them.