The Toronto Maple Leafs’ cap situation is one of the most intriguing in the league with their four star forwards taking up over 50% of their 2024-25 salary cap. With that in mind, there’s a necessity to penny-pinching wherever possible and, ideally, signing players to multiple-year deals for less money than those players are worth. While they, like every other team in the NHL, certainly have contracts that run against that gradient, there are a special few on their repertoire that rightfully leave other organizations scoffing at their team-friendliness. Let’s take a look at their three best-value contracts:
Joseph Woll: $2.9 Million AAV x 4 Years
It’s not too often that a team’s best contract is for their goalie, but Joseph Woll‘s four-year, $11.6 million contract certainly fits that bill. The 26-year-old cemented himself as the Maple Leafs’ best goalie last season, posting a sturdy .907 save percentage (SV%), 2.94 goals-against average (GAA), and leading the way in terms of goals saved above expected (GSAx) with 7.2 in 25 games. He dealt with a high-ankle sprain in December that sidelined him for a prolonged amount of time, but he came back and once again proved that he was the goalie of the future in Toronto.
He stepped it up majorly in the playoffs, too, being the main reason why the Maple Leafs brought the series against the Boston Bruins to seven games. Ilya Samsonov got the nod as the series’ starter, but in Games 4, 5, and 6, Woll posted a .964 SV% and 0.86 GAA in his three appearances. He won both games that he started and had an insane 4.3 GSAx in the postseason. There would be an argument to be had that this contract comes without the young netminder having completely proven himself yet, but his career statistics signify that more likely than not, he’s going to continue his impressive play for years to come. At $2.9 million a year, Woll’s contract should be a steal at a historically overpriced position for years to come.
Bobby McMann: $1.35 Million AAV x 2 Years
After entering the league as an undrafted 26-year-old, Bobby McMann has established himself as one of the Maple Leafs’ best depth-scoring assets. He played just 10 games in 2022-23 but scored 15 goals and 24 total points in 55 games this past season. At times, he played in the top six as a byproduct of his tenacity with and without the puck and goal-scoring upside. He was rewarded for his excellent play with a two-year extension worth $1.35 million annually, which, at this point, looks like an absolute steal.
His advanced statistics are relatively solid as well, sporting an expected goals share (xGF%) of 50.06% in 2023-24. Admittedly, this was one of the lower marks among Maple Leafs’ forwards, but he was still a net positive. Impressively, he ranked eighth among that same group in goals above replacement (GAR) and seventh in expected goals above replacement (xGAR). For a bargain-bin deal, those are excellent numbers and McMann should only build upon that for the foreseeable future.
Auston Matthews: $13.25 Million AAV x 4 Years
It seems like an oxymoron for a team’s highest-paid player and one who currently carries the highest cap hit in the NHL to be in consideration for their best-value deal. Despite this, Auston Matthews’ four-year, $53-million contract is certainly in that conversation. Inarguably a top-three player in the league, Matthews neared in on 70 goals this past season and should continue to push that pace through the duration of his contract (and well after it expires, too). He topped the 100-point mark for the second time in three seasons as well.
On top of his undeniable offensive talent, Matthews’ defensive prowess is displayed year after year as well. He has received Selke Trophy votes in each of the last five seasons, most recently placing third. Unsurprisingly, his advanced statistics are among the league’s best as well, leading Toronto in all of xGF%, GAR, and xGAR. In an ideal world for general manager (GM) Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs, Matthews’ contract would last for a full, max-length deal at this value. He knows his worth, though, and in four years, when his team-friendly albatross contract expires, he should be looking to further cash in for another well-deserved raise.
McMann’s Contract a Perfect Example of Team-Friendly Talent
While there are far too many contracts to forwards who don’t provide much of anything on offence — Ryan Reaves, David Kampf, and Noah Gregor to name a few — McMann’s contract is a legitimately perfect example of finding depth scoring for cheap and capitalizing on the opportunity to sign the player. Far too often do players with grit or “intangibles” get paid far too much, and Treliving is more guilty of that than most GMs in the league. This contract, however, doesn’t fit the status quo and should be a benchmark for what to look for in the future considering the Maple Leafs’ need for value deals.
