Maple Leafs in Trouble: Can Kyle Davidson Once Again Weaponize Blackhawks' Cap Space?

With the NHL season on the horizon, teams are getting down to business after the mid-summer chaos that is the NHL Draft and NHL free agency. Teams are picking up final pieces to round out their roster, and handling business in the terms of extensions and contracts for restricted free agents.

As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they took care of one of their own, re-signing forward Nick Robertson to a one-year contract to keep him in the fold. In addition, the team is also reportedly nearing terms with veteran Max Pacioretty, bringing valuable leadership and depth scoring to a team in dire need of those skillsets. Due to the late-offseason moves, the Leafs are also reportedly exploring trades to free up cap space.

Toronto's cap situation is wild. For starters, they're incredibly top heavy. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Taveras all make north of $10 million per season. In addition, a number of depth pieces are inked to fairly notable dollar amounts for numerous seasons. Factor in some of the interesting signings they made this summer for older veterans and you have a team with few options to free up space.

Now, enter the Chicago Blackhawks. Once a team with more cap space than anyone, is now in a more traditional cap situation entering the 2024-25 season. With a hair under $7 million to play with, the Blackhawks are in a healthy spot in terms of the cap.

That said, could they still help Toronto by taking on a player, especially if the Leafs sweeten the deal? The answer: yes. Although the Hawks won't be taking back a player like Mitch Marner or John Taveras, the Hawks could add a nice depth piece, and possibly another draft pick, to help the Leafs out in the short term.

Now that we know the Blackhawks CAN weaponize their cap space, who could they potentially target? Due to the Leafs' roster build, there are only a few names that the team could really move. Let's dive into those few names.

Jake McCabe – 1 year, $2.0 million

After fetching the Blackhawks the likes of Joey Anderson and a 2025 first-round pick, Jake McCabe could make a return to Chicago. The veteran defenseman has one year remaining on his deal, which the Hawks are paying half of anyways. Plus, McCabe's wife is from Chicago, the family is close to the area, why not explore a reunion?

The rest of the Leafs' defensive group are likely staying put. Morgan Reilly is under contract through 2030, Christopher Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson both signed four-year contracts this summer for notable money, and Timothy Liljegren, the only other defenseman making more than McCabe, also received a two-year extension this summer. Aside from depth options Conor Timmins and Simon Benoit, the Leafs can't move much else on the blue line. However, the Leafs are reportedly trying to extend the veteran defender, likely one of the many reasons the team is trying to free up cap space.

Bringing McCabe back to Chicago would also solidify a plan that I believe is going to happen in 2024-25, despite the amount of displeasure it will receive from the fanbase. Personally, believing Kevin Korchinski is a shoe-in for a NHL roster spot this season is, well, ignorant.

Calle Jarnkrok – 2 years, $2.1 million

Former Nashville Predator Calle Jarnkrok should be a familiar name to Blackhawks fans. Jarnkrok spent seven full seasons in Nashville, producing at a very respectable clip as a middle-six forward. After single-season stops in Seattle and Calgary, the forward inked a four-year deal with Toronto. In his first season with the Leafs, Jarnkrok set career highs in goals (20) and points (39) while tying his career high in assists (19). Unfortunately, the 32-year-old regressed in year two, posting 10 goals and 11 assists in just 52 games.

Although on the other side of 30, Jarnkrok's last two years should be spent as a respectable third or fourth line player. Yes, the Blackhawks have tons of those guys, but a lot of them are later in their careers. Jarnkrok might have one last go as a legit producer in 2024-25, meaning he'd be an upgrade over the likes of Pat Maroon and Craig Smith.

Jarnkrok possesses a modified no-trade clause, allowing him to veto trades to 10 teams. Unless Chicago is on that list, the Hawks could surely swing a deal for a valuable veteran.

David Kampf – 3 years, $2.4 million

Another former Blackhawk, David Kampf feels like a likely candidate in the trade discussions for Toronto. The once shutdown fourth-line center for Chicago, Kampf signed a two-year deal in Toronto and made the most of it, having career-best offensive seasons while having quality underlying metrics . However, those metrics declined after inking a brand new, four-year deal to remain in Toronto, making the noise around his contract grow by the second.

Kampf, like Jarnkrok, has a M-NTC, but could favor a return to Chicago to center the fourth line for the next three years. Although Kampf's contract is outside of Kyle Davidson's preferences on contract length, there are plenty of contracts coming off the books for the Blackhawks next season. Kampf could work in the plans if Davidson sees a fit.

Moral of the Story...

There are options for the Blackhawks to "help" the Maple Leafs while improving themselves. Realistically, the McCabe option would be the most beneficial and therefore most likely, but there is likely doubt in Davidson striking up any deals. The Blackhawks COULD weaponize their remaining cap space one more time, but it feels unlikely given the structure of the current roster.

As it stands, the Blackhawks will roll into the season with their current roster. Most roster spots are already determined, but there will be some battles for the prime positions on Connor Bedard's wing, and other spots within the lineup. The Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase is this coming weekend (Sept. 13-15), meaning hockey is right around the corner for the Blackhawks and their fans.

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