Maple Leafs News & Analysis

The Alexander Nikishin trade market has three real bidders and the Maple Leafs aren't one. Why Toronto can't win this race, and shouldn't try.

The Matthew Knies trade rumours got their firmest denial yet from Leafs AGM Ryan Hardy — and the Morgan Rielly answer was the more revealing one.

Celebrini's NHL-record $18.8M AAV moved the ceiling for elite forwards. Here's what it means for Auston Matthews' next contract with the Maple Leafs.

Gavin McKenna's entry-level contract pays a $1.075M cap hit with $3.5M in annual bonuses. Here is why it powers Chayka's retool — and how it can backfire.

The remaining NHL free agents are down to Tarasenko, Laine and Bunting after Patrick Kane went back to Chicago. Toronto's cap sheet says wait until September.

The 2027 NHL free agent class added Jason Robertson to a group with Crosby, Makar, Kucherov and Quinn Hughes. For Toronto, it is a bill arriving early.

New CBA contract rules land September 16: shorter terms, no deferred salary, a 20 per cent variance cap, a 71 per cent floor. What it means for Toronto.

NHL salary arbitration hearings end August 1. That deadline is what has frozen the trade market all month — and why the Leafs' cap wait finally gets real.

A Kirill Marchenko trade is the loudest rumour of the NHL summer, and Columbus beat writers have already knocked it down. Why the Leafs should still call.

The Maple Leafs fourth line is deeper than it has been in years. With Lorentz and Joshua waiver-bound, someone good sits. Keep the cheaper one.

The new NHL retained salary rules take effect Sept. 16 and kill double retention. What it means for the Maple Leafs and Morgan Rielly.

The new CBA drops maximum term to seven years for re-signings. What that structural edge means for the Auston Matthews extension and Toronto's 2027 negotiation.

Jason Robertson's one-year, $12-million deal sets up the biggest UFA date of 2027. What Jason Robertson free agency means for the Maple Leafs and Matthews.

Patrik Laine is unsigned and down to tryout offers. At a projected $1-2.5 million, the Patrik Laine Maple Leafs bet is nearly free — Toronto should take it.

The NHL playoff salary cap is now permanent, and the new CBA caps LTIR relief. What it means for the Maple Leafs, Max Domi and John Chayka's deadline plans.

The Darren Raddysh contract is the Maple Leafs' boldest blue-line bet: eight years, $68M for a right-shot power-play quarterback. A gamble with a long tail.

Eeli Tolvanen and the Maple Leafs remain linked. The cap math that could clear room for a 20-goal winger — and why Detroit leads the race.

Bedard's $15M pushed the NHL pay scale higher, reframing the Maple Leafs salary cap. Matthews and Nylander now look like value, not albatrosses.