The Toronto Maple Leafs have already signed players like Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi, which has brought them way over the cap limit.
In order to meet the salary cap requirements for the upcoming 2023-24 season, they need to offload around $8 million.
One possible strategy is to place Jake Muzzin on the LTIR, trade or buy out Matt Murray's contract, and transfer a lower-cost player to the AHL. However, there are rumors suggesting that Treliving might have an even bigger plan in the works.
After five days of free agency, the pool of available players has significantly reduced. However, there are still some highly skilled players up for grabs.
According to an article by Luke Fox on Sportsnet, the top free agent remaining Matt Dumba.
Fox's recent article has sparked the interest of many fans by linking Dumba to the Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs took a run at making this work, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Although this information was shared before the Leafs signed their top free agents, it seems plausible. If Dumba follows the same path as the Leafs' other new signings, he might sign a relatively inexpensive one-year contract. This would allow him to keep his options open for the next season while potentially competing for a Cup.
What about William Nylander? If the Leafs were to trade Nylander, they could free up enough funds to acquire Dumba, which would strengthen their defensive lineup. This move could make them one of the most well-rounded teams in the NHL, with exceptional talent from top to bottom.