![]() Cowan has an $82.5K minors salary in all three seasons of the deal, which is slide-eligible for two seasons if he plays less than ten NHL games in each season.Ģ023-24: $830K salary, $92K signing bonusĢ024-25: $842K salary, $93.5K signing bonusĢ025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonusĪug 10: Being there only once in the first four rounds of the 2023 NHL Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 28th overall selection Easton Cowan to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team announcement. Previously a scorer, Galchenyuk has adapted his game in order to fit with the Leafs, and now it seems a major opportunity awaits.Īt the moment, it seems the Tavares-sized hole in the Leafs roster will be filled by Foligno and Galchenyuk - two players who weren't on the radar for Toronto at the start of the season.Īll that work management did to improve the roster in-season has to pay off immediately with the Maple Leafs facing an early deficit in what's expected to be a meaningful postseason run.Aug 11: CapFriendly has the full breakdown of Cowan’s three-year entry-level contract, which carries a $935.8K cap hit. Galchenyuk has impressed since surfacing with the Toronto Marlies and quickly being called up by the Maple Leafs, mainly for his facilitative qualities. Not because of who he's replacing, but because Keefe believes his best second line, now that Tavares is out, includes the former third-overall selection of the Canadiens. ![]() Galchenyuk's inclusion is the most interesting development from Friday's practice. It's possible that both Engvall and Kerfoot see time at centre on the new version of the Leafs' shutdown third line. Replacing Tavares on the second line was never in the cards for Engvall, but he has the ability, to be sure, to fill in exposed bottom-six minutes through the middle of the ice. That left the aforementioned Nash as the odd man out, presumably because the comfort level from Keefe just isn't there yet following his Game 1 debut and the fact that Tavares' injury likely necessitates more from the centres who will play.Įngvall seemed like an obvious choice, partly because he had been playing well, but also the dire need, now, for capable centres. Pierre Engvall and Alex Galchenyuk both practised on normal lines Friday, each on the wing. Simple arithmetic told us that only one forward would need to be promoted from the taxi squad, but it seems Keefe has landed on two instead. It seems it's time for Foligno to validate is acquisition. ![]() That, coupled with the fact that he has Nylander on his wing, leaves no room for excuses. But based on the price paid to acquire him, the expectation should be that he can fill the role adequately. On the surface, this seems like a major undertaking for Foligno. The limitations from Kerfoot appear to be a significant reason why the Leafs acquired Nash - a strong defensive centre with a hard offensive ceiling - and had him make his debut on the third line with Kerfoot in Game 1 versus Montreal.Įxtras: Nash, Brooks, Dermott, Marincin, Hutton Kerfoot is the most natural fit based on ranking and understanding of the system, but he hasn't nailed down a role in the middle of the ice since he arrived in Toronto and it seems obvious Keefe prefers him on the wing. In fact at this point, if the Leafs did have one weakness, or a spot of positional uncertainty, it's at the rung right below Tavares on the team's depth chart.Īlexander Kerfoot and Riley Nash are the next two up, while veteran Jason Spezza has loads of experience but hasn't been trusted with top-line minutes since arriving in Toronto. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) Who steps in at 2C?Īs deep as the Maple Leafs are at the forward position, Keefe has candidates but not an obvious answer when mulling over the options to replace Tavares at No. ![]() John Tavares' injury has left a major void down the middle of the Maple Leafs lineup. ![]()
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