Toronto sent goaltender Petr Mrazek and the No. 25 to the Blackhawks in exchange for the Blackhawks’ No. 38 pick.
The move amounted to a cap dump for the Leafs, who were able to relieve themselves of Mrazek and his $3.125 million cap hit for the 2022-23 season. According to CapFriendly, the move now gives Toronto nearly $10.3 million worth of cap space.
As for the Blackhawks, the trade is the latest in a string of moves made as Chicago looks to blow up their roster and rebuild around the youth. The ‘Hawks took defenseman Sam Rinzel with the pick.
MORE: When does Toronto pick?
Petr Mrazek trade details
The deal between the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks perfectly encapsulated the direction of each franchise.
Here’s the move:
Maple Leafs get: 2022 second round pick (No. 38 overall) Blackhawks get: Goaltender Petr Mrazek, 2022 first round pick (No. 25 overall- Sam Rinzel)
Toronto Maple Leafs cap space
The Maple Leafs now back $10,244,384, according to CapFriendly. Although they have an offense teeming with firepower — Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares were all more-or-less point-per-game players in 2021-22 — Toronto could use an upgrade in the back of the cage.
Jack Campbell was the No. 1 in 2021-22 and he certainly got the job done, going 31-9-6 with a .914 save percentage and a 2.64 goals against average.
However, Campbell’s performance toiled in the postseason; he save percentage dipped below .900 as Toronto fell to Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs.
Nonetheless, Campbell is a pending unrestricted free agent. He should have a healthy market around him.
The added cap room does give Toronto the flexibility to explore the market a bit. Darcy Kuemper looks unlikely to return to the Avalanche; perhaps he’s a possibility as the Leafs look to break the glass ceiling and finally advance deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs.
