Brad Treliving plans to exploit salary cap loophole for Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs finally signed Jani Hakanpaa to a one-year, $1.47 million deal on Wednesday. Toronto and Hakanpaa have been linked since the first day of free agency, but concerns about his injury history led the deal to get pushed off until the eve of training camp. The Leafs also signed Max Pacioretty to a Professional Tryout Agreement, which his agent Allan Walsh believes will lead to a contract before the season begins.

The Hakanpaa deal put the Leafs $1.068 million above the salary cap. The salary cap has an added emphasis this season, as there is a rule about teams avoiding LTIR before the Four Nations Face-Off.

For a team like the Maple Leafs who are up against the salary cap, $485,000 entering the trade deadline could be the difference in acquiring depth for a playoff run or not. Brad Treliving likely has a trade cooking in the lead-up to camp, as they have eight defensemen who require waivers and PTOs given to Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz.

The biggest issue for the Leafs in their playoff failures over the past years has been a lack of depth against some of the league's top teams. It won't get any easier to escape from the Atlantic Division this season, and Treliving must find any loophole he can.

Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving planning to take advantage of a salary cap loophole