Leafs have been dying for a player like Perry, PDO. -fifty
In an alternative universe, where the Leafs had consistent, competent management that knew how to keep their own draft picks, develop prospects and make shrewd trades, they could very easily have a team that looks like this…
Hyman @ 5.5 | Matthews @ 13.25 | Marner @ 10.9
Knies @ 925K | Verhaeghe @ 7 | Nylander @ 11.5
Brown @ 1 | Bennett @ 4.425 | Dakota Joshua @ 3.25
Kapanen @ 1| Domi @ 3.75 | Perry @ 1.1
And the craziest part is, if you do the math of what those guys made this year, it would have been 63.675 AAV out of an 88 million dollar cap ceiling.
That would have left 24.3 AAV to still have Tanev, McCabe, OEL, Carlo, Benoit, Woll and Stolarz leaving the Leafs with 1.4 AAV in remaining cap space to sign one last bottom pair D.
Only Rielly wouldn’t have fit. Not a big loss, as we all know. But could have easily landed us a big piece in return back when he got his extension if he were traded instead of signed.
This is also not to mention how different the Leafs D would look had they kept Sandin and Durzi, just to name two, instead of opting for a D-core that is mostly 31-35 year olds.
Just as an example…at 22.8 AAV…
OEL | Tanev
Sandin | Carlo
Benoit | Durzi
With a bit of draft lottery luck, you could also swap out Marner for McDavid @ 12.5 which the Leafs could afford by not having either Joshua or Domi and replacing them with a league minimum contract.
Just sayin…