Signing Auston Matthews to an extension on Wednesday helped the Toronto Maple Leafs solidify their near-term future and keep their window of contention open.
It also brought some clarity to the team's salary cap situation.
Toronto's balance sheet for 2023-24 is extremely tight, as it has been since Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander signed long-term deals. But prior to the team extending its top center, it was sitting on a pile of cap space and not much else for 2024-25 and beyond.