Report: Leafs win critical arbitration battle against one of their own players.

For a fan on the outside looking in it may now seem like a big deal, but there was a hugely important announcement for the Maple Leafs made on Wednesday.

A report from Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman has revealed that an arbitrator has ruled in favor of the Toronto Maple Leafs in their case against now officially former player Jared Cowen. 

The Leafs exercised a buyout of Cowen's contract after acquiring him from the Ottawa Senators, but the player contested that buyout claiming he was injured due to the hip surgery he was forced to undergo, something the arbitrator clearly disagreed with. 

According to Friedman the arbitrator instead ruled that there was no evidence to suggest he was unfit when Toronto acquired him from the Senators and therefore the Leafs buyout will stand and the cap relief that they receive as a result of that buyout will also remain, keeping Toronto under the cap. Had the ruling gone the other way the Leafs would have been on the hook for Cowen's full $4.5 million in salary remaining on the contract, as well as the cap hit that comes along with it.

It's most certainly a good day for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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