*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.
*******
The Toronto Maple Leafs will enter next season with a few key players entering the final year of their contract. The status of team captain John Tavares is something that could be resolved at any point during the year, as it has been widely speculated that the 33-year-old would like to stay in Toronto, and the Leafs may want to have him past 2024-25, but if they do, at much lower than the $11 million salary he is currently earning.
Young winger Matthew Knies scored 15 goals as a rookie, and began to show his potential physical dominance in the playoffs against Boston, for which a case could be made for GM Brad Treliving to be proactive and sign the 21-year-old to an extension, but the length and amount would depend on how badly the Leafs want to get that done.
The Mitch Marner situation is likely to be a talking point throughout the season. If he is unwilling to waive his no-move clause, and the Leafs do not get an offer commensurate with his value, then it is possible that the 27-year-old plays out the year and sees where things stand after the season. That is a risky proposition for the Marner camp, since an injury, an off-season, or even Toronto not biting on an extension will cost them millions of dollars.
The player that is flying under the radar is defenseman Jake McCabe. The 29-year-old was acquired from Chicago with Sam Lafferty and 2024 and 2025 fifth round picks for Pavel Gogolev, Joey Anderson, the Leafs 2025 first and 2026 second round picks, with the Blackhawks retaining half of McCabe’s $4 million salary.
McCabe has been a physical presence on the Toronto blueline, contributed offensively last season (8 goals, 20 assists in 73 games) and formed a solid pairing with Simon Benoit for most of the season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported at the end of the season that there was interest from the Leafs in getting McCabe extended since he took more of a leadership role last season, but the question will be if the Leafs can afford to sign him and what will it cost.
With Treliving adding veterans Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to long-term deals, Morgan Rielly under contract for six more years, and contracts like goalie Joseph Woll’s extension kicking in next season, the ability of the Leafs to re-sign McCabe will depend on what they do with Tavares, Knies, and Marner.
While not a big scorer, a 30-year-old blueliner with the ability to be physical is an attractive commodity. McCabe’s former teammate in Buffalo Nikita Zadorov signed with Boston for $5 million on a six-year deal, and it may take a similar offer for Toronto to keep him in the fold.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»