If They Can't Move Jarnkrok and Kampf, the Maple Leafs Can Clear Some Cap Space Another Way

Last summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a couple of shrewd moves to add former members of the Florida Panthers team that won the Stanley Cup in 2024.

Not only did the Leafs manage to land deals for Steven Lorentz and Anthony Stolarz, they also brought in the enigmatic Oliver Ekman-Larsson to help bolster the blueline following some previous departures.

In the earliest stages of his first year in Toronto, Ekman-Larsson was punching well above his weight class, playing top pairing minutes with Morgan Rielly with mixed results. However, as the season wore on, OEL found himself slipping further and further down the depth chart.

Now relegated to 3rd pairing minutes with Simon Benoit, Ekman-Larsson and his $3.5M salary may actually have become expendable.

Yes, the Leafs' defense corps was solid last season, and yes, trading OEL creates another hole on the roster, but paying a 3rd pairing defenseman $3.5M is certainly not ideal.

The Leafs recently swung a trade with San Jose to send veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves to the Sharks. In that deal, the Leafs acquired 24-year-old former NCAA standout Henry Thrun, who costs a whole lot less against the cap at just $1M.

OEL managed just 4 goals and 29 points with the Leafs across 77 games last season. For comparison, Thrun notched 2 goals and 12 points in 60 games on a much worse team.

Another internal option to replace OEL's minutes for the Maple Leafs is 6-foot-7 Cade Webber, who signed a 2-year extension with the Leafs back in October of 2024.

The former NCAA defenseman will never set any records when it comes to points, but his ability to block shots and clog up lanes with his tremendous length and range is undeniable.

Webber makes under $900,000 as well, which would save the Leafs an additional $2.6M+ against the cap if they were to ship out Ekman-Larsson.

Reports had surfaced earlier this summer that the Leafs could look to part with the newly-acquired Brandon Carlo in a package in an attempt to land a difference-maker for the forward group. One has to wonder whether the Leafs would consider attaching a top prospect to OEL and move him in a package for a forward instead.

Thus far, there haven't been many reports suggesting that the Leafs will or should trade OEL, but if they want to bank some additional cap space to make improvements elsewhere on the roster, shedding OEL's $3.5M is certainly one way to do that.