"The next couple of summers are going to be crazy when it comes to the free agency market. New York Islanders captain John Tavares is likely to be available this summer and a pair of Norris Trophy winners in Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson could both be on the market on July, 1 2019. Maple Leafs fans are dreaming of landing one of these top players to put them over the top, but Howard Berger envisioned a scenario where both Tavares and Karlsson will be wearing the blue and white in Toronto. «Can you envision the Maple Leafs doing a pirouette by adding Tavares and Karlsson to the roster? Sounds a bit kooky right now, but the combination of a rising salary cap and expiring contracts allows for the potential. At least one of William Nylander or Mitch Marner would have to be sacrificed in such a plan and the club would need to ride out the final year of Marleau's contract. Otherwise, a dramatic re–make could materialize — providing, of course, the mega–stars heading toward free agency wish to play here in Toronto.» As Berger points out, the Leafs would have to be willing to sacrifice plenty of young talent to make this happen and probably more than just Marner and Nylander. With Auston Matthews's entry-level deal expiring after next season, the Leafs could have three players making $11-13 million per season. To have nearly half of you salary cap invested into three players is not the keenest idea. The Edmonton Oilers will be struggling to find the resources to build around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for years to come. The Chicago Blackhawks have had to have a yearly salary cap purge in order to keep players line Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews, but they have the three Stanley Cup banners in the rafters to make it all worth it. What do you think of this scenario?"
