The NHL announced a 4.5 million dollar increase to the salary cap, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have already used that space, giving them limited options this summer.
Gary Bettman announced yesterday that the salary cap for the 2024-25 season will be set at 88 million dollars, a 4.5 million dollar increase over last year's 83.5 million dollar ceiling. It is 300 thousand dollars more than the expected increase of 4.2 million. As such, every team in the league will have a little more room to work with than they anticipated.
That being said, the Leafs do not stand to benefit much from this increase in the short-term. The team spent the last year signing both Auston Matthews and William Nylander to massive contract extensions. Nylander's deal kicks in next season, and it carries an 11.5 million dollar cap hit, a huge increase on his previous deal.
Unfortunately for the Leafs, Auston Matthews' four-year extension also kicks in next season. Matthews will be the highest paid player in the NHL with an AAV of 13.5 million dollars. As a result, the Leafs will be spending 25 million dollars on just two players.
Furthermore, this means the Leafs have already used that 4.5 million dollars. As of today, the team has a little under 19 million dollars in cap space, but only have 10 forwards, five defenseman, and one goaltender signed. As such, they have seven roster positions to fill. Be sure to tune in this summer to see how the team uses that cap room to improve on the roster as much as possible.
