There have been conflicting indications whether the Toronto Maple Leafs will use the buyout option for players on their roster. The window for buyouts begins at 5pm on Friday and ends just before the beginning of free agency on June 30, but the Leafs may be waiting until late in that window to see if they can trade some of the players they are considering a buyout on to see if they can recoup some draft capital.
Earlier this month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast said that Leafs GM Brad Treliving may be considering using one or more of the club’s three buyout slots on players at the bottom of the forward lineup, but then said later that the club was likely not going down that road.
Center David Kampf (who has 2 years left at a $2.4 million AAV), wingers Calle Jarnkrok (1 year left at $2.1 million AAV) and Ryan Reaves (1 year left at $1.35 million) are three potential options for a buyout, but using that on Kampf and Jarnkrok would not have the desired effect on opening up cap space because each forward has signing bonuses for their remaining term.
Kampf’s buyout would result in a cap hit spread over four years, counting $1.683 million for two years and then $358,333 for the two years after that, clearing $716,666 the next two seasons, but since he is a center and good defensively, it is possible with the prices on centers going up, that Treliving could find a team interested in taking on Kampf’s deal, possibly the New Jersey Devils with former Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Jarnkrok’s buyout would only lower the cap hit from $2.1 million to $1.58 million, and save $517,666 next season, but would create a cap hit over $258,333 in 2026. The 33-year-old’s recent injury history does not make him a good trade candidate, and he was utilized in a fourth-line role by head coach Craig Berube in the playoffs, which makes him the most likely to remain of the three players mentioned.
Reaves was ineffective most of last season and represents one of the worst decisions made by Treliving in his two-year tenure in Toronto. A buyout would count only $450,000 against the cap next season and save the Leafs $900,000, but they could save nearly all of his $1.35 million cap hit if they bury the 38-year-old in the American Hockey League next season.
Some former Leafs could fall victim to the buyout option throughout the league on Friday. The most likely is defenseman Justin Holl, who has a year remaining at $3.4 million. The three-year deal he was signed to by Steve Yzerman was baffling at the outset and looks even worse now, as the 33-year-old declined even more from his time in Blue and White. In 111 games for the Wings, Holl has just 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists).
