Kyle Dubas and the Maple Leafs could be in big trouble

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the many teams battling the current salary cap. From being extremely top heavy, to having minimal d-men signed long-term, GM, Kyle Dubas continues to be challenged with the dollars and cents. Due to Covid-19, there's been talk the salary cap could go down, or flatten and if this is the case, the Maple Leafs are in big trouble.

With Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Auston Matthews and William Nylander all signed long-term and to big money deals, the 'core-four' will be built around for at least 4 more seasons. Throw in extensions for Freddie Andersen and Morgan Rielly, and the team's cap crunch continues to peek it's ugly head.

It's the secondary options that are going to be intertwined while the team tries to find ways to get creative to stay under the threshold. Names like Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, Travis Dermott, and Alexander Kerfoot, will all be made available this upcoming off-season so the Leafs can get a good idea of some options moving forward for saving money. Think Chicago after they won the cup and had to make several trades for the following season, just without the Cup part.

If the team can't figure out ways to cut spending, the inevitable will present itself - trading William Nylander for a cheaper contract.

Kyle Dubas mentioned he can and he will sign the Maple Leafs core long-term, and he's shown us all he can pull it off. Now, a lost season is going to throw a serious curve ball to his cap situation and it will be curious to see if Dubas can once again, knock it out of the park.

We don't know yet when the season will resume, it feels like no one really cares at this point. What we do know, Kyle Dubas is ready at home plate, and considering his wing-man created the league's salary cap, some may even say Dubas has someone banging a trash can for him.

Buzz buzz, Mr Dubas.