Maple Leafs Salary-Cap Issues? Adam Brooks Last Man Standing [Report]

Mitch Marner needs a day off just because he’s been playing a lot. However, wanting it to happen seems a bit easier than actually making it happen.

Related: Maple Leafs’ Short Shots: 6 Thoughts about the New-Look “Playoff” Lineup

How Did the NHL Salary Cap Impact Coach Keefe’s Decision?

So, in a move that offers a sense of how difficult the Toronto Maple Leafs’ salary cap is to manage on an everyday basis, when head coach Sheldon Keefe wanted to give Marner a maintenance day off because he’s been carrying a heavy workload, the only player left who could come in and eligible to replace him was Adam Brooks.

Keefe said Brooks is the only player #Leafs had that was eligible to come in tonight (#salarycapproblems), hence why they're swapping him in for Marner

— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) May 14, 2021

Good News for Adam Brooks, But …

On one hand, the fact that Brooks was the only player the Maple Leafs had who was eligible to play due to salary cap constraints is on one hand a bit comical. However, on the other hand is demonstrates just how much salary-cap juggling the braintrust had to do to ensure that the numbers added up. Fortunately, this is the last game in a while where the salary cap matters. It’s basically moot in the playoffs.

At the end of the 2020-21 regular season, Marner will end with a total of 20 goals and 67 points in 55 games. He currently ranks fourth in the league in scoring. Brooks has four goals and one assist in 10 games.

The decision was to give Marner a rest day just before the team heads into the postseason. That’s good news for Brooks, who’s probably excited to play and will move into the active lineup against the Winnipeg Jets taking Marner’s place. Furthermore, it will probably work out for the best. I’d love to see Brooks get his fifth goal of the season.

The bottom line is that this game isn’t crucial to anything, and probably coach Keefe just hopes that everyone emerges from the other side in one piece.

Related: American Isle Seat Host Mike Carver Rants: Maple Leafs Are Going Down!