Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is busy on the eve of the NHL trade deadline, putting goalkeeper Petr Mrázek and striker Kyle Clifford on dismissal, while also signing Finnish goalkeeper Harri Säteri for the rest of the season.
Even Säteri was put on probation, a claim by a free agent who was signed during the season after playing professionally elsewhere.
These are strategic movements for the trading period and necessary for the roster balance.
When players clear the waiver, any or all of the three can be assigned to Marlies, with each move having some salary cap. In Mrázek’s case, the Leafs will remove the maximum – $ 1.025 million (US) – from Mrázek’s $ 3.8 million cap hit. Even the Leafs were able to send Mrazek to the Marlies to work on his game. He’s struggled lately, with rookie Erik Källgren starting the last three games.
In Clifford’s case, the number, capital savings would be $ 1 million, his salary this season.
The moves could affect what Dubas can do in terms of roster additions until 3pm Monday. Who deleted disclaimer, and who did not, will be notified one hour before the trade deadline.
If a team claims Mrázek, the leafs would be out of his contract for the remaining two years, even though they would have a gaping hole in the net for which Säteri could be insured.
Säteri had a good season with the KHL Novosibirsk Siberia and won Olympic gold with Finland in Beijing. With Jack Campbell still injured, the Leafs have the very real chance of an unproven goalkeeper tandem from Källgren and Säteri. The 32-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2008. He played nine NHL games with the Florida Panthers in 2017-18, and spent six seasons in the AHL.
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