Salaries are a significant factor in determining a player's value. Which forwards give the Leafs the best bang for their buck?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have invested heavily in a core of players hoping to find success. In the salary cap world of the NHL, having desirable contracts gives a team a leg up on its competition.
The Toronto Maple Leafs commitment to their star players, and spending to the upper limits on salaries, keeps Assistant General Manager Brandon Pridham busy balancing the team's cap situation.
With a large percentage of the Leafs salary cap dedicated to paying a few players, finding value elsewhere becomes extremely important.
Looking at the Leafs individual player salaries at forward, their Average Annual Value cap percentage, and comparing it to other notable players around the NHL shows the team's best and worst values for the 2024-2025 season.
Worst Value Contracts Among Leafs Forwards
David Kampf It falls under the radar, but Kampf does not merit being paid $2.4 million. That is too much money for a fourth-line center whose best value is taking face-offs and killing penalties. While both roles are underrated in winning, paying a run-of-the-mill defensive center this much is not being cost-efficient.
John Tavares The polarizing, hometown, free-agent signee has been a constant source of consternation among fans during the latter years of his contract. While the Leafs captain has lived up to the deal in representing himself and the team, his production has declined.
He still contributes offensively and helps the power play, but he has the eighth-highest cap hit and fifth-highest AAV cap percentage for 2024-2025. (Stats courtesy of Spotrac.com)
Tavares is no longer an elite player who drives play but is being paid like one. During last spring's playoff series versus the Boston Bruins, he managed only two points in seven games, though he gets some slack for being given extremely defensive minutes due to the Leafs other three star players suffering various health concerns.
The lone positive to this deal is that it expires at season's end. That allows the Maple Leafs one more season to assess Tavares' play and determine if he returns in 2025-2026 for less money and a diminished role.
Best Value Contracts Among Leafs Forwards
Matthew Knies The 2024-2025 season is the final year of Knies' entry-level contract. He will earn $925,000 and take up just 1.12% (tied for 343rd league-wide at forward) of the Leafs cap space. Duplicating last season's numbers (15 goals and 36 points) would still provide value for that cap hit, but Knies seems primed for a breakout.
Knies has been one of the few Maple Leafs that has upped their game during the postseason. His size, skill, and willingness to get involved in puck battles point to a high ceiling.
Bobby McMann During the 2023-2024 season, McMann grabbed hold of a regular job among the Leafs top nine forwards. He scored 15 goals in only 56 games and earned a promotion to left wing on the second line. That's where he currently slots in on the Maple Leafs depth chart.
General Manager Brad Treliving was proactive and signed the big left-winger to an in-season extension. The late-blooming McMann is signed for two more years with a $1.35 million AAV. The AAV ranks 299th league-wide with a 1.53% cap hit. That's a great deal for a potential twenty-goal scorer that plays a power game.
Auston Matthews The Maple Leafs star center has the highest cap hit in the league at $13.25 million and ranks third (15.06%) in cap percentage, but is among the team's value forwards? Yes, he is.
The annual odds-on favorite to win the Rocket Richard Trophy in combination with stellar defensive play is earning every cent. As the NHL salary cap rises, this deal will look even better as it runs to the end of the 2027-2028 season. By then, Matthews will likely have earned himself a significant raise. For now, this is a desirable deal to the Leafs.
To Be Determined
Max Domi There is something admirable about Domi's desire to play for the Leafs, however, four years at $3.75 million is a lot for a player with mediocre career numbers who has bounced around different organizations.
Domi provides versatility by playing both wing and center. He also proved to be a good fit as a setup man for Matthews when needed, though he is a defensive liability.
Mitch Marner He took a lot of grief for his decreased output during the series against the Bruins, never mind that he was coming off a high-ankle sprain one month earlier than he was supposed to. The final year of his contract pays him $10.903 million this season. That's the NHL's ninth-highest cap hit and eighth-ranked cap percentage (13.38%) among all players.
Marner plays elite defense and scores at a 100 point pace consistently, as he did this past season despite it being somewhat of an off year for him. He wasn't worth the full cost of his contract last season, probably due to injury, but has been for most of the deal.
William Nylander The smooth skating winger earns $11.5 million annually, the sixth-highest cap hit in the league. That AAV accounts for 13.07% of the Leafs salary cap, ranking tenth league-wide.
Nylander is a back-to-back forty-goal scorer whose production has increased year after year. He drives the play while on the ice and has decreased his costly, mental lapses. If he surpasses the forty-goal and 100-point barriers this year, the cap hit has merit.
On the other hand, Nikita Kucherov (Hart Trophy finalist) and Matthew Tkachuk (Stanley Cup champion) are wingers with more pedigree that earn less than Nylander. David Pastrnak, a four-time forty-goal scorer with a career-best of sixty-one goals, has a cheaper cap hit and only a slightly higher AAV cap percentage.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have invested heavily in their star players. Despite the impediments to managing the team's salary cap, there is value to be found. Playing out the season will determine where the Maple Leafs got the most for their money.
