Toronto and Columbus Just Turned the NHL Salary Cap Into a Creative Writing Exercise
PuckPedia broke down how Toronto submitted a cap-compliant roster by utilizing LTIR on Merzlikins.
The NHL salary cap isn't a rulebook anymore; it's a creative writing exercise. and just pulled off a blockbuster trade right at the 5 p.m. buzzer that requires an advanced accounting degree to fully understand.
The shipped Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae, and a 2027 second-round pick to the . In return, gets , Miles Wood, and Elvis Merzlikins. But the real MVP of this deal isn't a player, it is the Long-Term Injured Reserve.
According to PuckPedia's breakdown, only managed to submit a cap-compliant roster by immediately parking Merzlikins and his contract on LTIR. Trading for a guy just to legally hide his salary in the NHL's financial upside-down is the most modern hockey move possible.
For , the actual on-ice prize is Marchenko. The guy was 's leading goal scorer, putting up 27 and 67 points last year on a wildly team-friendly $3.85 million cap hit. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell previously swore he wouldn't move Marchenko without getting a haul, and to be fair, he stuck to his guns.
gets a 23-year-old power forward in Knies who just posted career highs with 66 points and 18 minutes of ice time a night. Of course, he also managed a glaringly ugly minus-30 rating, means he will fit right into the chaotic brand of hockey.
For anyone looking at the futures market, just added a premier scoring winger while doing salary cap gymnastics that would make an Olympic judge weep. , meanwhile, gets younger and clears out a disgruntled star whose agent was practically begging for a change of scenery on social media.
The Maple Leafs host the next, where we will see exactly where Marchenko slots into an already loaded top six. As for , they welcome the on Thursday, hoping Knies can bring his offensive upside without dragging his plus-minus any further into the earth's crust.