Cap Crunch: Maple Leafs Could Land $3M Scorer from Panthers

The Toronto Maple Leafs may be in the position to take advantage of the Florida Panthers’ salary cap crunch. The Panthers are looking to clear over $3.7 million in cap space before the start of the season, and if they don’t place someone like Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR, that could mean trading veteran forward Evan Rodrigues.

The Leafs are looking to add another top-six scorer to their lineup. Mitch Marner‘s departure has led GM Brad Treliving to try and replace the production by committee, but a legit scoring winger would be a welcome addition. One that comes in at an affordable cap hit and has playoff experience is just icing on the cake.

Florida is currently $3.725 million over the salary cap after re-signing key players like Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand. While teams are allowed to exceed the cap by 10 percent during the offseason, they must be cap-compliant by opening night on October 7. That puts GM Bill Zito in a tight spot.

Rodrigues, 32, has two years remaining on his contract at a $3 million AAV. He’s a versatile, right-shot forward capable of playing anywhere in the top nine, and he’s been a key contributor during Florida’s back-to-back Stanley Cup runs. Over the past two postseasons, he’s registered 30 points in 45 playoff games with a +9 rating. He’s on a team-friendly deal and lacks any form of trade protection.

Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports that teams are already inquiring about Rodrigues, with The Fourth Period reporting that the Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Minnesota Wild are reportedly among those showing interest.

Can the Panthers Avoid Trading Rodrigues?

One factor that could temporarily delay a trade is Matthew Tkachuk’s injury status. If the Panthers place him on long-term injured reserve to start the season, it would offer short-term relief. But once Tkachuk is healthy, Florida would once again need to shed salary to stay under the cap. By then, it’s hard to know what the roster situation will be in Florida, and maybe the Panthers aren’t forced to dump a contract and take only picks or prospects back.

---

For Toronto, if they landed Rodrigues, they would have to do some slight cap maneuvering, as they are $2.9 million away from the cap ceiling after the Dakota Joshua trade. That should be easy to do, and Treliving would be happy to do it if it meant bringing in a valuable playoff forward with experience.

Next: NHL Rumors Roundup: Leafs Blue Line Trade, Kings Pressure, and Penguins Talk