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Leafs release pre-season schedule; cap projection rumors

June 18, 2019, 4:26 PM ET [946 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs released their 2019 NHL preseason schedule on Tuesday, with the full 82-game regular season schedule expected later this week. The club will once again play eight exhibition games, with the first taking place in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where they are opening training camp in mid-September.

As with last season, the Leafs will play home-and-home against Atlantic Division rivals, the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings, between Tuesday, September 17 and Saturday, September 28.




Other news that will come out on draft week is the location of the 2020 NHL Draft and the cap limit for the 2019-20 season. The draft has been in three consecutive Western Conference cities (Chicago, Dallas and Vancouver), which likely means that an Eastern Conference city will get it next. Toronto has not hosted the Draft since 2002 (when the retired Rick Nash was selected first overall), but did make a bid to host it two years ago as part of the Leafs Centennial celebration.

Mid-season projections had the cap going up to as much as $85 Million, but later on the figure of $83 Million seemed to be generally accepted. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported on Tuesday that the amount could dip below $82 Million, which would constitute an increase of around $2 Million.

Listen to my appearance on the Jerry Sullivan Show from this morning, where we discuss the disorganized Raptors parade and pressure on the Leafs with Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun and talk about what the Sabres may do in the trade market leading up to the NHL Draft in Vancouver.



A lower than expected number would be bad news for the Maple Leafs, with three restricted free agents in Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson to sign and the first year of Auston Matthews $11.634 Million contract on the books.

If there is a lower cap ceiling, the loss of $1 Million or more of wiggle room could cost teams key players. The lower cap amount would also result in a lower cap floor, which would make budget teams less likely to take on the likes of Patrick Marleau’s $6.25 Million contract for next season.


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