Which Maple Leafs players will receive qualifying offers?

Whereas hockey followers could have their eyes targeted on midday Wednesday – when unrestricted free company opens up – there are nonetheless a number of bookkeeping objects that can hold Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and his colleagues across the NHL busy.

It begins Monday, with a 5 p.m. deadline for groups to problem qualifying gives to their restricted free brokers. The important thing RFAs for the Leafs are Pierre Engvall, Ondrej Kaše and Rasmus Sandin.

If a participant fails to obtain a qualifying provide, he turns into an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday. The gives are typically well worth the wage the participant earned in 2021-22.

Qualifying Sandin ($894,167 U.S.) is a no brainer, for the reason that defenceman has little or no bargaining energy. However Engvall ($1.25 million) and Kaše ($1.25 million) have arbitration rights. The Leafs should weigh the chance of the participant taking them to arbitration and profitable his case.

Dubas advised on the draft that Engvall would doubtless be certified, however was noncommittal on Kaše, who might have a powerful case, but additionally a historical past of harm. Boston confronted the identical dilemma with Kaše final 12 months and that’s why he grew to become an unrestricted free-agent.

The groups and gamers can proceed to barter, but when Kaše wins a case for lower than $4,538,958, the Leafs could be locked into the wage. Something over, and the Leafs might stroll away, making him a free agent. For a staff with solely a tad over $10 million in cap house, and nonetheless searching for a goalie, or two, the chance of dropping an arbitration case may very well be too expensive for the Leafs to take.

Restricted free brokers usually are not required to just accept the qualifying provide. Within the Leafs case, meaning Sandin might store himself to a different staff. Groups could start to contact RFAs for provide sheets on Tuesday. There was once only a few provide sheets, however final 12 months Jesperi Kotkaniemi signed a one-year, $6.1 million cope with Carolina which the Canadiens declined to match, receiving a first- and third-round decide in return.

Sandin could also be inclined to buy himself round as a result of he’s moved additional down the Leafs depth chart, with left-side defencemen Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Mark Giordano taking part in forward of him.

If Sandin ought to settle for a qualifying provide between $2,100,742 and $4,201,488, the Leafs might match, or decline. In the event that they declined, the Leafs would obtain solely a second-round decide as compensation.

The Leafs don’t have anybody to purchase out, however that window closes at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

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