The Toronto Maple Leafs chose to sign four players to massive contracts, which necessitated finding smart deals to fill out the roster.
As misunderstood as it is oft-criticized, the Leafs salary cap structure is nothing short of brilliant.
Mathematically, the NHL is a strong link game, which means results are star driven. Elite players have massive effects on the outcome of games, but the other 90% of players do not.
Therefore, it makes sense to get as many star players as you can, and pay everyone else the league minimum. You can make exceptions for players with upside, but more or less, this should be the guiding principle of every team in a salary cap league.