Report: NHL changes ruling on Leafs’ contracts

According to a report from Toronto Maple Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets, by way of NHL salary cap database CapFriendly, the Leafs currently carry 50 contracts on the books, the league maximum.

Prior to this development it was thought that the Leafs had 49 contracts in their organization. The significance of this development cannot be overstated because it effectively means that the Leafs cannot add a player via trade without moving a player as well. Any potential trade the Leafs make between now and the NHL’s February 26th trade deadline must be balanced out in terms of the number of contracts involved. No flipping picks for players allowed.

This certainly puts GM Lou Lamoriello and president Brendan Shanahan in a pickle. While there are intriguing trade targets out there for the Leafs, they’ll either need to clear some contracts off the books or get creative with their offers.