In the current landscape of the NHL, the salary cap has added another layer of complexity to player management. The teams that have set themselves up for success serve as revealing examples for how the Toronto Maple Leafs will need to manage their assets.
One thing that has become clear is that quality drafting and development minimizes cap hits for years into the future. For example, the Nashville Predators are currently paying their incredible defensive group only $22.5M, which ranks 17th out of 31 NHL teams.
In fact, Nashville’s former draft picks Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis only earned a combined $10.