A genius move by Brad Treliving may prevent the Leafs from losing Martin Jones

A couple of weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that their superstar goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy, would be out 8-10 weeks following back surgery, which led many to speculate Tampa would target Jones when he was placed on waivers. One thing no one expected, though, was that Jones is due a $100K signing bonus tomorrow, so any team who puts in a claim on him today at 2:00pm ET will be responsible for paying out the bonus.

Yes, the amount is small, but it's an extra consideration for teams looking to claim Jones - one that teams may not want to deal with. It could help the Leafs sneak him through waivers.

We have already seen a number of goaltenders clear waivers, so Jones may have cleared anyway. Nevertheless, It's a smart move from a veteran GM in Brad Treliving to think ahead and building in an additional layer of security in the hopes it would deter teams from scooping Jones up.

It may or may not work, depending how desperate a team is for help between the pipes, but we will know in short order as the 2:00pm ET waiver deadline is just mere hours away. We'll find out then whether or not Jones has cleared or was claimed by another club.