Salaries are rising quicker than the cap itself so it puts much more pressure on the GM’s to get bang-for-buck deals done whenever they can. The first big test of the new Toronto Maple Leafs front office from a dollar standpoint is going to be Morgan Rielly.
When Rielly’s contract is up after the 2015-2016 season Toronto is going to be at a crossroad. Do they extend him long-term? Or do they take another bridge deal to the table?
This season will make that determination much more clear, but Rielly trended up from year one to year two and he’s likely to do the same in this season.