All in all, it was an interesting Saturday for Kyle Dubas, the ever optimistic general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “We hope it comes to a good conclusion for everybody.” With Marner, Johnsson and Kapanen due to become restricted free agents on July 1 and able to talk to rival teams starting Sunday, trading Marleau certain makes Dubas’s job easier. He knew his contract — $6.25 million (all dollars U.S.) is the cap hit — was standing in the way of the Leafs’ progress. “To Auston and Mitch, a special thank you for welcoming us into the Leafs family and then becoming a part of ours,” Marleau wrote. It was a price that needed to be paid, and it solves a lot of the Leafs’ salary-cap issues.

Source: thestar June 23, 2019 01:18 UTC