Sorry but I think that the leafs are screwed even if the cap goes up. Reily going to ask for big money too in a year from now. Plus there will be animosity between the players making 7+ million and the players making < than 1 million a year. Its going to be interesting how management keeps the team together this year.
Goalie Fredrik Andersen is not the best Leaf, but he is the most important. If he gets hurt, the team’s top backup option is three jumbo bags of flour strapped into pads.
Andersen’s going to be looking for a raise in a couple of years and, based on the way Kyle Dubas & Co. have been splashing around cash, he’s unlikely to limit his financial aspiration.
This could conceivably work if the salary cap rises steeply, but that’s a basis for prayer rather than planning.